Silver Spring Divorce Mediation Lawyers

There are many ways to resolve a family law dispute. Some involve greater amounts of cooperation, and some involve greater amounts of conflict.

At Avery & Upton, our lawyers approach family law dispute resolution from different perspectives. Bruce Avery is a leader in Maryland collaborative divorce, while Prudence Upton is a skilled trial lawyer.

Because we work as a team, our clients know that their strategy will be informed by a balanced perspective. We will help you carefully select the dispute resolution method that works best for you.

If you are facing a family law dispute, you can schedule an initial consultation at Avery & Upton today. Just call us at 301-762-7644, or contact our firm online and we’ll get back to you soon.

Your Dispute Resolution Options: The Full Spectrum

1. Informal Negotiations: Some couples are able to reach a settlement just by sitting down at the kitchen table and talking it over. Especially if you have no children and few assets, you may consider this inexpensive, relatively brief and painless option.

2. Collaborative Practice: Both parties agree in writing at the beginning of the case not to enter litigation. Working with their attorneys and neutral experts in fields like finance and child psychology to help them, they come to a settlement. Since it’s done outside of the court system, there is more room for creativity. It is also a private process with no public record or airing of “dirty laundry.”

3. Mediation: In mediation, a neutral mediator helps the conflicted parties come to an agreement. The mediator is not there to advise the parties, but to assist them in reaching agreement, so it is a good idea to have your own attorney for advice. All of our lawyers are trained mediators, and Bruce Avery is a trained mediator in family law.

4. Negotiation: In negotiation, the attorneys discuss the options, reach an agreement, bring the agreement to the couple for review, then continue making revisions until the parties are satisfied. Generally, this happens alongside litigation — trying to reach a settlement before the trial date.

5. Litigation: The worst case scenario, litigation is adversarial by nature. One spouse is the plaintiff and the other is the defendant. Together, they do battle in an often expensive, and very public trial. We try to avoid litigation, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Ms. Upton is a fierce trial advocate.

To schedule an initial consultation to discuss dispute resolution, call us at 301-762-7644, or contact our firm online today.