Site Content

  Trusted And Resourceful Mediation Professionals        Mediation is a powerful tool that allows you to maintain control over the process and the outcome of your divorce or other family law dispute. Mr. Sautter is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law and Appellate Law mediator  (Florida Certificate No: 33799 FA). We offer flexible scheduling for mediation to accommodate parties with urgent needs.        Family law mediators have a holistic knowledge of family conflicts and a deep understanding of the legal, financial and emotional elements of divorce. Their extensive experience allows them to mediate cases that involve complex legal and financial issues.        We enjoy helping people assess their needs, priorities, and motivations, while providing the benefit of experience both as practicing family lawyers and mediators. We are dedicated to facilitating people toward an equitable, practical, and stable agreement that ultimately brings closure to litigation.

Compared to traditional litigation, settling a divorce or family law dispute through mediation is:

• Flexible – Mediation can address one or more issues in dispute and can take place before and/or after a petition is filed with the court.
• Private – Mediation is conducted outside of court and off the record.
• Non-Adversarial – Both sides work cooperatively to determine the best result for everyone.
• Self-Directed – You maintain control of the process (not the court) and create your own solutions.
• Neutral – Your mediator is an experienced unbiased professional focused on facilitating a mutually agreeable resolution.
• Healthy – Mediation promotes better communication, stronger relationships and improved parenting.
• Durable – Privately mediated agreements allow the parties to take ownership of the outcome thereby resulting in greater long-term satisfaction.
• Economical – Reaching a settlement outside of court can lower legal costs.
• Mandatory – Upon filing a petition with the court, parties are required to attempt alternative dispute resolution to resolve their case. Mediation fulfills that requirement.

       If you are seeking a resolution of the issues at stake, mediation provides an excellent and cost-effective environment in which to formulate a practical and lasting arrangement that works for you and your family. This approach provides privacy and flexibility that you cannot get in court. By turning over the power to resolve your case to the court, you give up the ability to reach an agreement which takes into account your unique needs, goals, and values.

       Mediation enables parties to represent their individual interests while working toward a place of compromise. In this environment, each party occupies a private meeting space with his or her attorney. Both parties have the benefit of confidential discussions with their lawyers and any other professionals they wish to have present or consult with. The mediator is a neutral facilitator of negotiations, who engages in “shuttle diplomacy” by moving between rooms to guide the parties toward a workable settlement using creative and sensible solutions. The goal of mediation is to reach a mutually beneficial settlement which is reduced to writing and may be presented to court in lieu of trial.        Mediation can take place at any stage in the litigation process (or prior to the litigation process) and any number of disputed issues can be addressed and resolved. It is common for parties to address a significant issue, such as temporary orders or a final parenting plan, in a stand-alone session and return at a later date to address the remaining issues. The entire process is collaborative and nothing is decided without consensus from both parties. Mediation is a safe and confidential atmosphere, in which nothing discussed can be used in court.

Our mediators can guide you in reconciling family law disputes pertaining to:

• Divorce and legal separation
• Temporary orders
• Child custody and child support
• Property division and allocation of assets and debts
• Spousal maintenance payments and duration
• Relocation and parenting plan modifications
• Post-dissolution disputes, including final orders, modifications and support
• Disputes involving co-habitating couples and unmarried parents

Contact Us To Reserve a Mediation Date      We are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be confirmed by our office. For further information about scheduling, please call us a 305-670-2510, hit the Online Contact form button below, or email us.