Family law mediation is an informal and voluntary process through which parties can meet with an impartial, trained third person to work together in order to resolve some or all of their pre or post dissolution of marriage issues.  A good family law mediator can help you decide custody and parenting time that is in […]

By: Letty M-S Van Ert

Q:  A friend told me that he and his ex-wife went to a mediator when they were going through a divorce.  What is mediation?  Is mediation required in order to obtain a divorce?  What does it cost to mediate?  Do attorneys need to be at the mediation?  What are the benefits of mediation?

A:  Mediation is a process by which the parties meet with a third party neutral, the mediator, to determine areas of agreement, areas of dispute, and options to resolve

By: Letty M-S Van Ert

Q: What is the ENE process and how has it changed the way Minnesota courts handle family law cases?

A: “ENE” stands for Early Neutral Evaluation.  ENE is a process utilized under the court’s Early Case Management (“ECM”) approach to handling family law

By: Thomas Tuft

A Moderated Settlement Conference is a voluntary, late stage settlement conference moderated by an

By Thomas Tuft

A key consideration to address with a family law attorney is the procedure or method that will be used to resolve the issues in dispute. These are commonly referred to as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or Family Dispute Resolution (FDR). In some cases, multiple approaches are necessary. The most common methods are mediation, early neutral evaluation, collaborative law, cooperative law, settlement conference, moderated settlement conferences arbitration, and, of course, court litigation. I intend to touch on each of these briefly in this entry and go into more detail about each of them in the coming weeks.