Mediation is the process in which parties attempt to settle and resolve disputes, divide property, and determine child custody issues using a Rhode Island Mediator.

The purpose of the mediation process is an attempt to curtail a long, contentious and expensive court battle in Rhode Island Family Court. A mediator is a neutral third party who seeks to facilitate a settlement or compromise rather than decide the case. Rhode Island Family Court Judges decide Cases. Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers advocate for their clients best interest and seek to get their client the best disposition possible.

Mediators are neutral and attempt to facilitate an agreement between the parties. A mediator is similar to a referee. A mediator seeks to facilitate creative solutions to problems, disputes and feuds. Mediation occurs in a Lawyers conference room not a courtroom and should be less stressful than a contested divorce or child custody battle.

Mediation should be less expensive than a litigated RI divorce. Mediation allows you to resolve your Divorce, Child Custody Dispute or Family Law Case on your schedule not the Courts schedule. Mediation is usually a lot less time consuming then a contested divorce. Mediation allows you to Come to a mutually agreed upon result rather than having a disposition forced upon you.

Mediation sessions could also occur in the middle of a RI Contested Divorce in which both parties have Rhode Island Divorce or Family Court Case or Family Lawyers representing them. The parties can meet with the mediator in the middle of the divorce and seek to obtain a compromise that the Lawyers / Attorneys were unable to achieve. In some divorce cases, it becomes increasingly obvious that it is the attorneys who are battling more than the clients and it is the attorneys who appear to need a "divorce".

The Rhode Island divorce process can be destructive to the children and the parties.

A contested divorce may involve endless posturing between the parties and attorneys in Family Court. There is often bickering and petty disputes that occurs in Providence, Kent, Washington and Newport Family Court. There is often endless waiting for a court hearing or trial that may never happen. There is often endless court dates, and nonstop continuances. The Divorce process can be a long, drawn out battle involving a massive amount of legal fees, countless court appearances and incredible amounts of stress.

Mediation allows the parties to skip the expensive and often stressful process of competing attorneys posturing to get leverage. Mediation is a way to avoid endless court appearances, endless continuances, waiting in Court

The Sad reality is that often the parties could have come up with the same resolution of their disputes at the beginning of the case through the mediation process without the huge combined legal bill, without the missed days of work and without the stress.

The Mediation Process can help parents learn how to co-parent and come up with a visitation schedule or custody plan on their own terms.

Many parties should at least try mediation as a way to attempt to settle their divorce on their own terms. Mediation allows parties to be invested in resolving their disputes rather than allowing the judge to make the decision.

Divorce is usually not a "win- loss" process. Rhode Island is an equitable division of assets state Therefore, no one usually completely "wins" in a Rhode Island divorce. A mediator can help the parties come to an equitable division of the Real Estate, Pensions, 401k, boats, cars, businesses, property, cd's, marital debts.

-Stop the Madness,
- End the "divorce war",
-Curtail out of control legal fees,
-Divorce with Dignity,
-Protect your Children from the adverse consequences of a contested divorce,
- Become invested in the process,

-At least attempt an amicable settlement before the Divorce battle begins.

If the parties cannot agree and are not willing to make at least some concessions to their positions / claims then mediation will probably not work. If the mediation is successful then Rhode Island Mediator David Slepkow will draft a memorandum of understanding or a Parenting plan.

Attorneys legal Notice per RI Rules of Professional Responsibility:

The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer or attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.