Glen’s Mediation Blog
Child Custody Is Not Crunching Numbers
In my Minnesota mediation cases, I occasionally run into folks that are concerned about numbers with child custody and child custody mediation. These people could be attorneys or people who mediate with me. The numbers they are concerned with are the number of child overnights (used in Minnesota to calculate parenting time), 45.1 % (the…
Read MoreMinnesota Divorce Mediation
Minnesota divorce mediation is not like California divorce mediation.For one thing, divorce mediation in CA has been up and running a lot longer.It’s a normal process for divorce and nobody thinks about it. Here in Minnesota divorce mediation is different. For one thing, it takes a while for trends on the coast to become “trendy”…
Read MoreCourt Ordered Mediation
I got a call this morning from a Rochester mediation client. Minnesota mediation clients often call me with questions. A common question is this: “My mediation is court ordered; What do I do?” I’m happy to answer this question, but first I want to explain a bit about court ordered mediations. A court ordered mediation…
Read MoreMediation and Cost
When people call me for Minnesota divorce mediation or Minnesota family mediation, the first they often say is “how much does it cost?” A question I ask people seeking family mediation or divorce mediation in return is this: “How well do you get along?” If two people can’t get along well at all, ANY way…
Read MoreMinnesota Divorce: Mediation or Attorneys- Which Is Best?
In doing Minnesota divorce mediation, I often run into folks who’ve called a lawyer before they call me. Worse yet, they’ve paid a $2000-$5000 retainer to an attorney before contacting me. Perhaps the lawyer is already working zealously on their behalf, doing their job, but making a bad relationship with your ex worse. Below are…
Read MoreMinnesota Divorce Mediation
Where do you go for a Minnesota divorce mediation? Most people think of attorneys. Many attorneys who would fight it out in court are now advertising themselves as mediators. I’m certainly not saying they aren’t mediators. They are qualified neutrals just as I am. But that is where the similarity ends. In law school, attorneys are quite…
Read MoreDo I Stay or Do I Go–Workshop for Professionals
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 6:30-8:00 pm Southdale Library (map) Free Networking Event Do you work with couples? Do you feel stuck when one partner wants to work on the relationship and the other is less than committed? Or when a partner says that they want to end the relationship, but they struggle to let…
Read MoreMediation and Being Stuck
It is very common for people to come to mediation “locked-in” to their position. There are good reasons for this. Some people are like like pit bulls: they clamp down on a position without the slightest change, through thick and thin. This is a valuable trait if 1) you know you are absolutely 100 %…
Read MoreWhy You Should Consider Non Attorney Mediators
By Glen Bickford, Minnesota Qualified Neutral and Trained Mediator Most mediators in Minnesota are attorneys. Only a small percentage are what those attorneys refer to as “non attorney mediators.” Some attorneys believe mediation should be practiced exclusively by lawyers—because only lawyers, they say, understand the law. In fact, many legal professionals in Minnesota have worked…
Read MoreMore Barriers to Mediation: Why You Might Choose a “Non-Attorney” to be Your Mediator
More Barriers to Mediation: Why You Might Choose a “Non-Attorney” to be Your Mediator By Glen Bickford, Minnesota Qualified Neutral and Trained Mediator In MN, the vast majority of mediators are attorneys. But are attorneys always the best mediators? I would argue no, though for certain cases they are a must. And before signing a…
Read More