Court-Related

Do you have a case in court?

We can help. We provide free alternatives that address court-related matters. We work in the following areas:

Have your case mediated before your court date. We will set up a mediation between you and the other party. Our mediators help you reach a settlement and file your agreement in court as a binding stipulation. Mediation is an effective alternative to lengthy court proceedings — in most cases, you do not have to go back to court after you have an agreement. If there’s no agreement in mediation, you keep your right to see the judge and can keep your court case.

Ask the Defense Attorney or the District Attorney’s office to refer your case to mediation. Mediation gives the complaining witness and defendant a chance to talk about the pending criminal matter in a private meeting, facilitated by a trained mediator. It gives you an opportunity to resolve your differences. Parties can then make a recommendation to the judge about the outcome of the case.

Ask for your case to be referred to Conflict Coaching by the court as a condition of a plea. Conflict Coaching is a private meeting with a skilled conflict resolution professional and is designed to help a defendant manage conflict more effectively and move forward.

When a petition is filed in Surrogate Court, most issues are not simply legal, but involve ongoing relationships between family. Our mediators help with communication, trust, and creative problem solving. Agreement reached in Surrogate Court Mediation is binding and will become part of the court record.

Ask the judge to refer your case to mediation. We mediate disputes between you and your family members about the appointment of a Personal Representative or Administrator of the decedent’s estate.

If you have a case in Family Court for a youth-involved criminal matter, ask the court to refer your case to mediation or conflict coaching. In mediation, court-involved youth can benefit from the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the person who was harmed to talk about the incident, the impact, how to make amends and how to move forward. Depending on the stage of the court process, agreements reached in mediation can help resolve the court case.

You could also ask for your case to be referred to Conflict Coaching by the court as a condition of a plea. Conflict Coaching is a single individualized meeting with a trained coach, and is designed to help a defendant manage conflict more effectively, gain a deeper understanding about his/her conflict, learn helpful strategies and skills, and practice how to move forward.