MEDIATION
What is Mediation?
What Can Be Mediated?
Why Mediate?
Mediation FAQ
What is Mediation?
In mediation, a neutral person (the mediator) helps the parties to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement to their dispute. Any agreement is recorded and may be filed as an enforceable contract. Mediation is informal, voluntary, and confidential. The process gives the parties the opportunity to discuss the issues raised in the disagreement, clear up misunderstandings, determine underlying interests or concerns, and draft an agreement. Any agreement reached in mediation is the agreement of both parties.
What Can Be Mediated?
Here’s how mediation can help in many different situations. You can come to mediation whether the issue has already been filed in court or not.
Housing Stability
The rent’s not paid? The promised new carpet never happened? More residents than the lease allows? When either the tenant or the landlord is unhappy about something the other one did or didn’t do, formal eviction is not the only way. An otherwise good relationship can be preserved, or a shaky one improved, by taking the problems to mediation. Landlord-tenant / tenant-tenant mediation is currently free.
Divorce
Going through a divorce is difficult and stressful. The thought of taking personal issues to trial makes it worse. Trained mediators at NMC work with both parties to resolve disagreements in a collaborative and peaceful manner.
Parenting Plans
We can assist divorced, divorcing and never-married parents in working together to develop a child-centered parenting plan. Whether you need to create a new parenting plan or update your current one, mediation provides a cooperative atmosphere to resolve your issues and move forward, focused on your children.
Business
If you have a problem with the business next door, or you need to change a business partnership, mediation can help. A mediator can help you work through the issues so you can maintain good business relationships.
We can mediate business-to-business issues, business partnership issues, and consumer issues.
Elder Issues (including Guardianship and Probate)
Disputes about how to care for elderly family members, or disputes about how to distribute their assets when they’ve passed, can cause strife. Mediation can help families make cooperative agreements to stop or prevent fights about elder issues.
Group Facilitation
Non-profits, agencies, committees—whenever we join together, conflicts can pull us apart. Or they can help us grow stronger, more united, and more able to continue our good work. When conflict threatens to stop a group in its tracks, inviting a qualified mediator trained in group facilitation to the table—a BIG table—can be the starting point for growth. A trained group facilitator can also help you put together a collaborative strategy for the future.
Other
Problems with employees or bosses? Issues talking to your teen? Contract concerns? Neighbor problems? Something else? If you have a conflict that’s not mentioned here, we can likely still mediate! Call us or send us a message to find out.
Language services
If you speak a different language than the person you have a dispute with, we can help. We have interpretation services at no additional cost. When you contact us, please tell us you’d like interpretation services and tell us your preferred language.
Please note: NMC does not provide legal advice Note: Northwest Mediation Center does not provide legal advice. NMC always recommends that each party consult an independent attorney regarding her/his legal rights and responsibilities, to help make fully-informed decisions in mediation. Click on these links for some “independent study” legal information: Washington Law Help and WA Attorney General
Follow these easy steps to get started:
STEP 1.
To prepare for your mediation intake process with Northwest Mediation Center,
please be ready with this information (all of which is kept confidential):
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Your name, address, phone and email information
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Contact information for the other parties
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Your attorney's name (if you have one)
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Your gross yearly income, for determination of your rate (see the 'Costs' section)
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Dates or times, during regular business hours, when you could participate in mediation
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What kind of conflict it is (for example, parenting plan, marriage dissolution, landlord/tenant, etc.)
STEP 2.
To request mediation, click the button below:
OR
Call 509-456-0103 or email info@nwmediationcenter.com to begin the process and/or get more information.
If you have questions, you can fill out our contact form to get more information.
Note: Northwest Mediation Center does not provide legal advice. NMC always recommends that each party consult an independent attorney regarding her/his legal rights and responsibilities, to help make fully-informed decisions in mediation.
Click on these links for some “independent study” legal information:
What is Mediation?
In mediation, a neutral person (the mediator) helps the parties to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement to their dispute. Any agreement is recorded and may be filed as an enforceable contract. Mediation is informal, voluntary, and confidential. The process gives the parties the opportunity to discuss the issues raised in the disagreement, clear up misunderstandings, determine underlying interests or concerns, and draft an agreement. Any agreement reached in mediation is the agreement of both parties.
What Can be Mediated?
Here’s how mediation can help in many different situations.
Housing Stability
The rent’s not paid? The promised new carpet never happened? More residents than the lease allows? When either the tenant or the landlord is unhappy about something the other one did or didn’t do, formal eviction is not the only way. An otherwise good relationship can be preserved, or a shaky one improved, by taking the problems to mediation. Landlord-tenant / tenant-tenant mediation is currently free.
Divorce
Going through a divorce is difficult and stressful. The thought of taking personal issues to trial makes it worse. Trained mediators at NMC work with both parties to resolve disagreements in a collaborative and peaceful manner.
Parenting Plans
Trained mediators at NMC assist divorced, divorcing and never-married parents in working together to develop a child-centered parenting plan. Whether you need to create a new parenting plan or update your current one, mediation provides a cooperative atmosphere to resolve your issues and move forward, focused on your children.
Business
Whether you have a problem with the business next door, or you need to change a business partnership, mediation can help. A mediator can help you work through the issues so you can maintain good business and productive business relationships.
We can mediate business-to-business issues, business partnership issues, and consumer issues. You can come to mediation whether the issue has already been filed in court or not.
Elder Issues (including Guardianship and Probate)
Disputes about how to care for elderly family members, or disputes about how to distribute their assets when they’ve passed, can cause strife among family members. Mediation can help families make cooperative agreements to stop or prevent fights about elder issues.
Group Facilitation
Non-profits, agencies, committees—whenever we join together, conflicts can pull us apart. Or they can help us grow stronger, more united, and better able to continue our good work. When conflict threatens to stop a group in its tracks, inviting a qualified group facilitator to the table—a BIG table—can be the starting point for growth. A trained group facilitator can also help you put together a collaborative strategy for the future.
Other
Problems with employees or bosses? Issues talking to your teen? Contract issues? Neighbor problems? Something else? If you have a conflict that’s not mentioned here, we can likely still mediate! Call us or send us a message to find out.
Why Mediate?
1. Mediation is Fair and Neutral.
Parties have an equal say in the process and they decide the terms of the agreement. Mediation can be used to negotiate disagreements that are not appropriate for court.
2. Mediation Saves Time and Money.
Mediation can be used to resolve most disputes: monetary, personal, family or other. Legal representation is allowed in some cases but attorneys are not necessary and are often discouraged. This allows the parties to save money and to have a direct voice in the agreement. Mediation can usually be scheduled within a few days of request (a session lasts approximately two hours) and the cost is based on a sliding scale which takes the income of the parties into account.
3. Mediation, Not Litigation.
Mediation can be used as an initial attempt at agreement before court action is sought or it may be used as the only avenue available in certain areas of disagreement. A settlement reached in mediation can eliminate the need for litigation and, thereby, the uncertainty of a judicial decision. The parties draft their own agreement which may be legally binding.
4. Mediation is Confidential.
All parties sign a confidentiality agreement which states that anything discussed in mediation is confidential.
5. Mediation Fosters Cooperation.
Mediation fosters problem-solving and invites cooperation. This is especially important where the preservation of a relationship is critical, which may occur between parents negotiating a parenting plan, neighbors, family members, co-workers, and landlords and tenants.
6. Mediation Improves Communication.
Mediation provides a safe, neutral, and mutually satisfactory resolution, which allows for preservation of the relationship.
7. Mediation Allows You to Design Your Own Solution.
A neutral third party assists the parties in reaching a voluntary, mutual resolution.
8. Mediation can resolve important underlying issues of the dispute.
9. With Mediation, Everyone Wins.
An independent survey showed 96% of all respondents and 91% of all initiating parties who used mediation would use it again.