Remote Mediation by Phone or Zoom

Although most of our mediations are done in-person in our office with both parents present, we have a variety of options to allow access to mediation. Mediation is an outstanding way to resolve conflict in a divorce or parenting case. It can reduce stress, be less expensive and give the parents more control over the outcome of their case. By allowing other ways to mediate, we can help more families reap the benefits of family law mediation. Which of these options would work for you?

In-office but not together

Sometimes we have people who mediate with us in-person in our office but they can’t be in the same room. I can go back and forth between rooms to do the mediation. This is sometimes called “shuttle mediation.” This can be a good option for a parent who does not feel emotionally safe in the presence of the other parent.

One in the office, one on Zoom

When one parent is located far away, sometimes our best option is to have one person come to our office and allow the other person to attend by Zoom. This can also be a good option for when one parent does not feel physically safe in the presence of the other parent, even with neutral third-parties close by.

Both on Zoom or on the phone

I have been doing Zoom mediation since 2020. In my first Zoom mediation, I wondered how it would work. It turns out that it can work quite well for family mediation. In a divorce or parenting case, usually* the parents know each other quite well. That makes it easier for the parents to relate to each other over a platform like Zoom.

Although I usually like to start my mediations on Zoom, there have been a few cases in which we have started by Zoom and switched to the phone. I liked that we were able to see each other at first and get a feel for each other. We typically switch to phone if there are internet connectivity issues.

In my opinion Zoom works best when geographical distance makes an in-person meeting impractical or when the parents have only a few issues to resolve. For cases with many issues or high conflict, more Zoom sessions may be required. In my practice, I typically reserve two hours for a first-time mediation session in-person and just one hour for a first time Zoom mediation. Zoom fatigue is real and so more sessions may be required, even if the total time mediating stays the same.

If you have a unique situation and would like to explore how we can help you in mediation, please call our office. We would be happy to see what we can do to help.

*Sometimes parents have a child together after a very brief relationship. In that case, they may not know each other well. Mediation can be a good way to resolve the additional issues that may arise in those situations.