Mediation provides a venue for individuals and families involved in disputes such as divorce and post-decree proceedings to resolve their issues outside of court. The mediation process often permits these disputes to be resolved in a more timely, less expensive and more private manner than traditional courtroom litigation.  In addition, as family law judges in Illinois are expected to handle more and more cases due to our growing population and worsening state budget problems, mediation often provides the participants an opportunity to have their concerns and goals addressed in a more thorough and compassionate manner than traditional litigation provides.

Many counties, including Lake County, now require that parents involved in child custody or visitation disputes participate in mediation before bringing such disputes before the court.  In addition, mediation of purely financial issues, such as child support, maintenance, division of marital estates and allocation of children’s college expenses, is becoming more prevalent across Illinois.

Individuals participating in mediation of family law matters should still be represented by attorneys, who can prepare their clients for the mediation sessions, inform their clients about the range of possible outcomes, provide feedback on the agreements reached and finalize agreements achieved in mediation as court orders.  In Illinois, the custom is that attorneys generally do not attend family law mediation sessions with clients.

Mediation is often inappropriate between parties where there is a history of domestic violence or other impediments to mediation, such as an active addiction or a substantial cognitive deficiency.   Mr. Reid regularly provides family law mediation services to residents of Lake, Cook and McHenry counties.