Case #5:  Two Attorneys and Late Mediation

Summary:   Your judge will require you to hire a private mediator and attempt to settle your case before the judge will allow you to go to trial.  Many cases are resolved at this late stage through mediation (after months of waste time and lots of money.)

Many Cases are Settled at Late Mediation, Just Before Trial

Your judge will require mediation before you can appear at trial.

Therefore, you are going to have to mediate sooner or later.  (That is why you should try it sooner.)

Most cases which are close to a trial date are settled with a private mediator.

The reason that they settle late rather than early is because the parties are exhausted financially and emotionally after months of fighting.  So, they are finally ready to get it done.  But earlier, they could not settle because they wanted to fight for awhile.

Eventually they realize that they are wasting their time and money and emotional energy.

For most couples, settling late is better than going to trial because you have more control over the settlement and most settlements at this late stage produce better results than you will get in the trial court.  (You know your personal facts much better than the judge will.)