Carlock & Gormley, L.L.P.

Dallas Family Law Attorneys Providing Compassionate Professional Legal Assistance in a Time of Personal Crisis

Mediation • Collaborative Law • Arbitration • Grandparents' Rights • Child Custody

In family law as in other areas of the law, ADR (alternative dispute resolution) is an umbrella term encompassing such procedures as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. To discuss how alternative dispute resolution might apply to your divorce or child custody dispute, contact the law offices of Carlock & Gormley.

Alternative dispute resolution is widely recognized as an efficient way to resolve legal issues involved in property settlement agreements and other family law issues including child custody or spousal support. Mediation is a procedure managed by a neutral mediator. If disagreement persists beyond mediation, the issue could be decided by an arbitrator, or private judge, within the context of ADR. Arbitration hearing occur in private settings, at times convenient to the parties in the case.

Arbitration can be more expeditious than court proceedings. Arbitration is governed by rules that are agreed upon in advance. These rules may be customized, perhaps varying from those used in courtrooms. For example, participants may agree to allow hearsay evidence, to allow for summaries of witness testimony, or to use summaries of lengthy documentary evidence.

Although arbitration is not widely used in family law, it is an option in complex cases involving complicated portfolios of assets, or hotly contested child custody cases. Through arbitration, spouses going through a divorce have the power to decide when, where, and at what cost resolutions will happen. The client also has the ability to agree on who is going to serve as arbitrator and make any final decisions that the couple has not been able to negotiate through mediation or collaborative law.

Learn how alternative dispute resolution (ADR) such as mediation or arbitration may help resolve contested issues in your divorce by contacting Carlock & Gormley, L.L.P.