Community Mediation Services of New Orleans (CMS NOLA) provides affordable mediation services to help parties resolve disputes.
What is Mediation?
Mediation is an informal process that lets people speak for themselves and work together to find a lasting solution to their conflict. Trained mediators are there to support people having tough conversations.
Mediation is voluntary. Participants decide what they want to talk about and how they want to talk about it. Any participant can end the process at any time and no one is forced to agree to anything they do not want to agree to in mediation.
The professionally trained mediators are non-judgmental. The mediators do not take sides, decide who is right or wrong, give advice, or make suggestions. They are there to ask questions, make sure everyone feels heard and understood, and guide participants through a collaborative problem solving process.
Mediation maintains people's confidentiality. The mediators will not tell anyone what was said during the mediation process (with the exception of mentions of child abuse, abuse of a vulnerable adult, or a credible threat to do bodily harm). Mediation participants agree to maintain confidentiality outside of the mediation, unless they agree otherwise within the mediation.
Payment is based on a sliding scale. No one is turned away for inability to pay.
Types of Disputes that can be Addressed in Mediaton:
Neighbor-to-Neighbor
Landlord/Tenant
Homeowner/Contractor
Cosumer/Merchant
Roommate/Housemate
Employment
Business
Family
School
WHERE WILL MEDIATION MEETINGS TAKE PLACE?
"On neutral ground." Face-to-face meetings will always take place in locations that do not offer an advantage to either party and are convenient to all parties.
