Refer Cases to Noah Mediation Services
As you know, clients want to save time and money, and they want to protect their children from what can be a messy process.
If your clients are being ordered to attend mediation, you can talk to them about the benefits of seeing a private mediator:
A flexible mediation schedule around their work hours so they don't have to use personal or vacation time to attend mediation or worse, risk losing their job from too much missed work.
Mediation appointments within two weeks, rather than having to wait 3-6 months.
The opportunity to choose their mediator rather than having one assigned to them. If they choose Noah Mediation Services, they'll receive the same level of experience of court procedures as they would attending Cook County's mediation services (see Laura L. Noah's experience).
The opportunity to negotiate property and financial disputes, issues that are often intertwined with custody and visitation but are not allowed to be discussed through the county program.
The option (when agreed upon by both parents) of having the mediator speak with children between the ages of 4-17 for the purpose of giving them a voice, but NEVER to put them in the middle or to make them a decision-maker.
Attorneys are welcome to refer cases to Noah Mediation Services either
on a voluntary or mandatory basis.
If clients are being mandated to attend mediation and are agreeing to go to a private mediator, it is often useful to put that into a court-order and include specifics about the division of mediator fees as well as any number of required session if applicable (see below for more information on mandated mediation). Each mediation session is usually 2-hours in length.
The Fast Facts listed below may be useful when referring cases to NMS.
Click here if you have a case that needs expediting.Click here for information on domestic violence and mediation.
Fast Facts
General Information
- Noah Mediation Services Charges $200/hour (or $400 for a typical 2-hour family mediation session) regardless of how many people are present in the mediation office at any time. Click here for information regarding pro bono and/or sliding scale fee services.
- Typically
participants in mediation split the mediator's fees. Other arrangements can be made by agreement.
- For any type of case, each party involved must contact the mediator directly and separately to begin the mediation process.
- For all family cases, parties MUST first meet with the mediator alone for 1 hour prior to the first joint mediation session.
- By agreement of all parties, the mediator will provide parties with a written statement of any agreements that were reached in mediation.
- Noah Mediation Services accepts only cash or check with payment due at the end of each session. Credit Card payments can be arranged to be made in advance of the mediation session only.
Mandated Mediation
- Typically participants in mediation split the mediator's fees. If the court would like a different fee arrangement then that should be written into a court-order and presented to the mediator in advance of the first appointment.
- By
agreement of all parties, the mediator may provide parties with a
written statement that includes dates and times of participation in
mediation. There will be no information regarding missed appointments
and no evaluative report regarding parties' actual participation in
mediation.
- NMS clients' participation in mediation
is on a voluntary basis with no minimum amount of mediation time
required other than the 1 hour private meeting with the mediator to
start the process. If a judge wishes to mandate a minimum amount of
time in mediation, this must be written into a court-order and
presented to the mediator in advance of the first session.
- The mediator reserves the right to terminate the mediation at any time for any reason based on his or her judgment regarding the appropriateness of mediation. Given rules of confidentiality in mediation, the mediator shall not be required to provide a reason for termination.