Are you looking to contain the cost of your divorce proceeding and have more control over the outcome or your divorce? If yes, then The Mediation Center of the Pacific may be right for you. To download divorce forms, visit this page on the Hawaii State Judiciary Website: HERE
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
At the Mediation Center of the Pacific, we charge an administrative fee that is based on a sliding scale. Mediation is a 3-hour process and the fee will be assigned to each party when you open a case. The administration fee is for each 3-hour session. The Mediation Center of the Pacific is a non-profit community dispute resolution center funded by the Judiciary, Aloha United Way, other State contracts, private foundations, and private donations.
Equally important is the fact that mediators are trained volunteers. This allows the Center to charge only a small filing fee. Although, the Center is not a part of the court system, many judges and family attorneys often recommend mediation to their clients and refer them to the Mediation Center.
WHAT KIND OF DIVORCE ISSUES ARE HANDLED?
- Claims involving children (”visitation” or “custody”) such as: how much time the children spend with each parent; how holidays, vacations, and special days well be shared; how transportation will be handled; and how to deal with schedule changes.
- Claims about property such as: whether the house will be kept or sold; who will live in the house if it is not sold, or until the sale; how to divide or sell personal belongings; and how debts incurred during the marriage will be handled.
- Claims about major decisions for the children such as: schooling, medical care and religious training.
- Other claims which concern or arise of the family relationship.
HOW SOON CAN I SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT?
If you call the Mediation Center of the Pacific today, you can usually set your first appointment within two weeks. However, if you have an upcoming court date just let us know and the Center staff will do everything to accommodate your needs.
WHEN CAN I MEDIATE?
The Mediation Center of the Pacific is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
However, mediations can be scheduled in the evening and Saturday morning to accommodate your schedule.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Divorce mediation usually takes a minimum of two or three meetings of 2-3 hours each. The parties normally meet with a team of two mediators – a man and a woman. Everything said in the mediation session is confidential. If the parties come to an agreement, it is written up in plain language and parties can have it reviewed by their attorneys before signing. If the parties don’t have an attorney, the agreement can be given to the judge when you go to court.
HOW DO I START MEDIATION?
Call the Mediation Center of the Pacific at 521-6767. The office is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Be prepared to describe the issues you want to talk about and provide us with the name and contact phone number of your spouse. The Center staff will then contact your spouse and ask if they would be willing to come to the Center for mediation. If both of you agree to mediation, then a mutually agreeable appointment time will be scheduled to mediate.
WHAT IS MEDIATION?
Mediation is a way for divorcing couples to talk together and work through divorce issues with the help of a neutral third party, the mediator. It allows people to work out their own agreements to present to the court rather than waiting for a judge to decide everything at trial.
Mediators do not “take sides,” issue decisions, or promote solutions. Instead, they work with the parties to establish communication and allow the parties themselves to come up with their own ideas, plans, solutions and arrangements for themselves and their children.
Mediation is not counseling and does not try to change people’s ideas about getting divorced.
Mediators will not offer legal advice or tell parties what to do in any way. Mediation is often useful even if you have an attorney representing you in your divorce case. In fact, many attorneys recommend mediation to their clients and refer them to the Mediation Center.
WHAT ARE THE OUTCOMES OF MEDIATION?
Most parties who decide to mediate are able to come to an agreement on at least some, or all of their issues. Also, many people believe that mediation works better than the court system in helping divorcing parties feel better about each other, and enables them to communicate more effectively, to work together in the future on issues concerning their children and other affairs.