Pro Bono - Mediation help for free
One of the first questions that occurs to anyone looking to get a case mediated is how much the process is going to cost. It’s of course difficult to control the cost of a law case, and mediation can be similar, in the sense that it’s hard to know how long a case will take to settle. We try to help out by offering set price mediations, for a day or a half day, but there is also an option to apply to get mediation help from Far River for free.
Pro bono refers to work that lawyers or other professionals provide without charge, generally for parties or causes they believe in. It’s the same in mediation; we try to find and help with cases we feel strongly about, in the hope that parties who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford mediation will still be able to benefit from our help. We offer pro bono help in a variety of fields, most frequently family law mediations, which can often be particularly difficult.
So what makes for a good pro bono case? For us, it’s very helpful to have the relevant details we need in the first exchange, meaning the names of the parties involved, and if there’s a case filed, what stage the case is at. Before we can take a case, we need to conflict check it, meaning checking to make sure we haven’t represented or mediated for either party before, and of course we need to know if there are any serious impending deadlines. Thus, the intake form for pro bono work is a bit more detailed. We also need solid contact information for you, since much of the prep work of mediation is scheduling and making sure people have compatible technology.
The other thing that makes for a good pro bono case is a clear dispute. Custody is a common issue because obviously, if parents are separated, the child can only be with one parent at a time, and the dispute is about which parent will have which times. Business disputes are often less clear cut, since there can be issues of payment on contracts, payment on implied contracts, IP ownership, and so on, all of which need to be resolved.
Last and not least, of course, at least one of the parties needs to be someone who legitimately can’t afford the costs of mediation. We’re proud to be able to help, and glad to offer the free assistance to people who really need it. If you think your case might be a good fit, contact us today, and we’ll tell you what we can do to help.
