The Chief Administrative Judge for the Charleston County Family Court, F.P. Segars-Andrews, has instituted mandatory mediation for all DSS abuse and neglect cases. Volunteers, such as myself, spend Friday mornings acting as mediators.
I have mediated two abuse and neglect cases the past two weeks, with both reaching settlement, and will be volunteering one Friday in November. Not only has it been an excellent way for me to hone my mediation skills, and other volunteers to hone their mediation skills, but Judge Segars-Andrews informs me that mediation has been resolving about half the cases that are mediated, freeing up badly needed docket time and reducing the imposition on court-appointed lawyers who represent defendants in these cases.
The biggest challenge I see is that sometimes two hours is not enough time to resolve a case, especially one with multiple parties.I would like to see more complex cases set for a longer time period.
The biggest challenge I see is that sometimes two hours is not enough time to resolve a case, especially one with multiple parties.I would like to see more complex cases set for a longer time period.