Long Island Family Law and Mediation Blog
Virtual Divorce Mediation Services in Niagara Country NY
For residents of Niagara County, New York, divorce mediation services have long offered a valuable alternative to traditional litigation. Although there are certainly situations in which litigation offers couples the best way to resolve their issues at the end of a marriage, mediation can sometimes offer a fast, cost-effective way to avoid unnecessary stress.
However, the success of any mediation strategy does depend on a couple’s ability to choose the right mediator to help them navigate the divorce process. Unfortunately, in the past, many couples have been restricted to choosing local mediators, to avoid the need for long and expensive commutes.
Now, however, the courts and video conferencing platforms of New York support mediators like me in offering virtual mediation services. This means I can offer my services to clients throughout Long Island and the entire state of New York, with the help of a conferencing platform like Zoom.
If you believe an alternative dispute resolution method like mediation might be right for you, here are some reasons why you might consider working with me on your case.
Convenient Mediation Sessions Delivered by a New York Local
Though mediation services allow couples to avoid some of the complexities and stresses of litigation, they still demand the involvement of the courts. The courts must review every agreement made by a couple during mediation sessions to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for both parties.
Since the processes followed by the courts when making decisions regarding things like equitable distribution, spousal support, and child custody can vary, it’s helpful to work with a mediator with local knowledge. While my law and mediation office might not be located in Niagara County, I am familiar with the law of New York State and the forms required to file for an uncontested divorce anywhere in the state.
A Long-Standing Passion for Family Law
Divorce mediators in New York State or Niagara County don’t necessarily need a background in family law to support and serve their clients, although they do need to understand how court decisions are made. However, a background in family law can be extremely useful to many clients. My more than 20 years of experience as a New York attorney allows me to share unique insights with my clients that can help to facilitate better negotiations, and reduce disruptions during the legal process.
For instance, I can help clients to identify how certain decisions about child custody, parenting time, and spousal maintenance might be deemed “unfair” or inappropriate by the courts. Additionally, while I have worked with various firms on many different legal cases since joining the New York State Bar in 1999, my focus has long been on the area of family law since I started my own practice in approximately 2004.
Ever since I discovered by passion for family law cases, after joining the Suffolk County Assigned Panel in which I did cases early on in my family law career (I stopped taking assigned cases over ten years ago and solely have private clients now), I’ve built my career (and my own law practice) around a focus on helping clients navigate this often stressful, and emotional legal landscape. My focus on family law means I have extensive experience adapting my services to different family dynamics, challenges, and requirements.
As a mediator, I can draw on my experience working on numerous divorce, maintenance, and child support cases over the years, to help objectively guide my clients towards the right outcomes.
Flexible and Convenient Divorce Mediation Services
Ever since I began offering mediation services alongside standard litigation practices, my focus has always been on delivering customized, convenient, and flexible services that adapt to the needs of my clients. As mentioned above, my experience as a divorce and family lawyer has allowed me to leverage various unique mediation techniques effectively, such as “evaluative mediation”.
This strategy involves using my legal knowledge to help clients effectively assess their arguments and negotiate on agreements that will be deemed “fair” by the courts. In many cases, I also use other techniques to help nurture the flow of effective conversations. Interest-based negotiation strategies help me to ensure both parties can highlight their priorities during conversations, and identify outcomes that are both fair, and in their best interests.
Similarly, facilitative mediation strategies, like open-ended questioning, can help reveal the underlying concerns and requirements that drive people towards different decisions. Now that I can offer virtual mediation sessions to clients throughout New York and Long Island, I can bring these highly customizable services to people in Niagara County in a new way.
With sessions hosted over Zoom, and the ability to e-file documents with the courts, I can ensure that all of my clients can manage the mediation process from the comfort of their own home, and adapt their sessions to suit their schedule. This often leads to a far more convenient experience, while ensuring my clients can save time and money on extensive travel.
Bringing Divorce Mediation Services to Niagara County
While Niagara County residents have long had the option to choose mediation as an alternative method of dispute resolution for divorce cases, they haven’t always had the broadest selection of mediators to choose from. While I have offered in-person mediation to clients across New York and Long Island for some time (and continue to provide this option today), many clients have preferred to avoid long commutes to and from my office in Suffolk County.
Now that I can offer virtual divorce mediation sessions, I can ensure that clients throughout New York can access the same convenient, objective, and friendly services regardless of their location. You can even choose to combine virtual and in-person sessions, if you prefer.
If you believe that divorce mediation is the right strategy for you and your partner, and you want a convenient solution from an experienced, reliable mediator, I can help. You can reach out to my office either using the contact form on this website, or by calling me on (516) 333-6555 to arrange a free initial consultation with yourself and your partner.
I look forward to helping you streamline the divorce process, with virtual mediation services.