|
|
19th Judicial Circuit
Family Mediation Program |
The Family Mediation Programs in Lake County provide divorcing parents the opportunity to submit custody, visitation, and removal disputes to mediation before proceeding to a contested hearing before the court. The Lake County Family Mediation Program is governed by local court rule 11.13.
Mediation is a way for parents to resolve their disputes in a private confidential setting with the assistance of a neutral third party whose role is to assist the parties in reaching an agreement on disputed issues by identifying issues, exploring options and facilitating communication between the parties. A mediated resolution allows the parties to avoid the uncertainty and expense of contested court proceedings.
Parents are the experts on their own children. In most cases, it is preferable for parents to decide between themselves how to raise their children instead of having the court decide. Both parents and children stand to benefit from a mediated resolution to a family dispute, children by seeing their parents work cooperatively to plan for the future, parents by learning better communication and problem solving skills.
Not all cases are appropriate for mediation. Mediation is not required where the presence of domestic violence, intimidation, substance abuse, child abuse, mental illness, cognitive impairment or other impediment to mediation hinders the ability of a party to negotiate safely, competently, or in good faith.
In addition to custody, visitation, and removal issues, the parties may also submit their property disputes to mediation through the Family Mediation Program in Lake County.
For more information, refer to our 
Frequently Asked Questions on the Family Mediation Program.
How to become a Family Mediator
If you are interested in becoming a Lake County Family Mediator, please refer to local court rule 11.13.
Forms
Click the form title below to download and complete the form:
Lake County