Conflict Resolution Mediation Services
Whether you are contemplating divorce, in the midst of arduous litigation, engaged in a dispute with your landlord or tenant, or involved in a dispute with your employer, co-worker, or employee, mediation may be your best option.
We offer you an even and contemplative manner of resolve, breadth of knowledge and understanding, and a creative approach to your dispute that welcomes the opportunity to help.
Fees and Expenses
- Initial consultation is free of charge.
- First mediation session is $400.00 for up to 3 hours.
- Each additional session is $200 per hour.
- All payments are expected when services are rendered.
Payment Options
- Cash
- Credit Cards & Debit Cards
- Venmo
- Personal Checks
Reduced Fees
If you cannot afford our rates, please let us know. We will try to work with you to make the process less burdensome on your financial wellbeing. No matter what fee arrangement we make, all clients will receive the same professional and courteous service.
Committed to the Community
Next Chapter Mediators is deeply committed to the community. We volunteer for Every Child Linn Benton, coach the Oregon State University’s Mock Trial Team, and raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care.
At your direction, Next Chapter Mediators will donate 10% of your total fees to one of these fine organizations.
Our Services
Stay Together Mediation
The dissolution of a marriage or partnership can have devastating consequences on our emotions, finances, or reputation. It also has lasting effects on children and family members involved. That’s why we developed a mediation process designed to give relationships a chance to survive.
Move On Mediation
If Stay Together Mediation is not an option, Next Chapter Mediators can facilitate the process into a mediated divorce process or partnership separation. At this point, at least, you will know that you’ve done all you can to save the relationship.
Our Process
Before Your First Mediation Session
Before we begin the process of resolving your dispute, you and the other parties involved in the dispute will receive an Agreement to Mediate.
This Agreement memorializes our respective obligations, establishes ground rules, confirms confidentiality, and formalizes our fee agreement. You must sign this at the first session.
One week before our first session, we ask that all parties provide the documentation necessary to resolve the dispute. This documentation will vary depending on the nature of the dispute. We will provide you with a document checklist when we deliver the Agreement to Mediate.
Each party will also be invited, though not required, to provide us with a written statement regarding the nature of the dispute, the relevant facts, and any other information the party would like the mediator to know. These statements will not be shared with the other party or parties.
Your First Mediation Session
Our first mediation session will start fairly formally. Your mediator will formally introduce themself, take a few moments to discuss their background, and establish the basic ground rules for the session.
You will be presented with a copy of the Agreement to Mediate for your signature. You will also be provided an Issues Identification Form that we will use to focus and narrow the scope of the mediation.
Finally, we will remind everyone of the voluntary nature of mediation and the strict confidentiality of the proceedings.
Once the opening formalities have been completed, we will turn the process over to you. You will determine what we talk about, the nature and tenor of the negotiations, and ultimately, the results.
As a facilitator, the mediator’s role is to guide the discussion, ensure that we stay focused on the issues at hand, ensure that we understand one another, promote harmony and reasonableness in our discussions, offer new and creative ways around seemingly intractable problems, and document the agreements reached.
Patience with the mediator, patience with the process, and most importantly, patience with each other is imperative.
Your First Mediation Session
Our first mediation session will start fairly formally. Your mediator will formally introduce themself, take a few moments to discuss their background, and establish the basic ground rules for the session.
You will be presented with a copy of the Agreement to Mediate for your signature. You will also be provided an Issues Identification Form that we will use to focus and narrow the scope of the mediation.
Finally, we will remind everyone of the voluntary nature of mediation and the strict confidentiality of the proceedings.
Once the opening formalities have been completed, we will turn the process over to you. You will determine what we talk about, the nature and tenor of the negotiations, and ultimately, the results.
As a facilitator, the mediator’s role is to guide the discussion, ensure that we stay focused on the issues at hand, ensure that we understand one another, promote harmony and reasonableness in our discussions, offer new and creative ways around seemingly intractable problems, and document the agreements reached.
Patience with the mediator, patience with the process, and most importantly, patience with each other is imperative.
Additional Sessions
At each additional session, we will continue to discuss and narrow the scope of the discussion until you have reached agreement on every point or reached an impasse. We will generally follow the process established in the initial session.
When little or no progress is made, we will discuss whether continued mediation is advisable, or whether a different mediator might be more effective. We will decide together whether to continue the mediation or conclude the sessions.
Caucus
From time to time during a mediation, it may be helpful for us to meet with one or more of you alone. This is sometimes referred to as a caucus.
We will endeavor to limit caucuses to no more than 15 minutes. Anything you disclose to us in a caucus will be a secret between us unless you give permission to disclose it.
Even though we might have a conversation with one of you alone, it will not affect our independence, impartiality, or neutrality. A caucus is an opportunity for us to gain better insight so we can better understand where you are coming from.
Documentation
The mediator will transform the session notes into a written Memorandum of Understanding. This document will be delivered to each of the parties for review and comment.
All parties will be afforded the opportunity to provide comments, request clarifications, and ask questions. Based on these communications, we will revise the Memorandum of Understanding.
Once all parties agree on terms within Memorandum, a final version will be circulated for signature.
Please note: The Memorandum is usually non-binding and does not become a legal obligation until the parties have had their attorneys review the document and draft a binding contract based on it.
In some circumstances, with a little modification, the Memorandum of Understanding can be made into an enforceable document.