One of my primary goals and objectives as a mediator is to service the particular needs of my clients. And over the years I have encountered many unique and challenging situations. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, couples want and need resolution of their dispute very quickly. Towards this end I have developed an intensive mediation program (called Accelerated Mediation) designed to bring parties in conflict to mutually agreeable results in a concentrated time period, usually completed within one week.

Preparation is an important part of the Accelerated Mediation process. I assist the parties in identifying and gathering the all of the information that may be needed during the mediation process.

During this accelerated process, I meet with the parties both individually and together. Attention is focused on identifying the needs and interests of each party, developing options and identifying objective criteria for completing the agreement. Parties may confer with their attorneys during the process to clarify and resolve any issues that may arise during the mediation. The mediation concludes when the parties have reached agreement. A draft document is prepared which your attorneys can review if you choose..

This intensive process has been particularly successful for many couples going through divorce or separation. If a pending divorce settlement is either unreasonably bogged down in bureaucratic legal problems or needs immediate resolution for any other practical issue, Accelerated Mediation can provide the vehicle to achieve a timely and fair settlement.

Very often, a lawyer controlled divorce can take years to settle and cost tens of thousands of dollars each. Here’s what typically happens. You and your spouse each hire an attorney. One lawyer calls the other. Each attempts to gain the advantage. Neither side gives in and they become intransigent. Work on settlement issues is halted. Threatening letters are exchanged. Finally, suit is filed. First the discovery process, then document requests, then interrogatories (sometimes thicker than an encyclopedia) are exchanged. Depositions are scheduled. Then pre-trial motions, hearings and finally, trial. Protracted court battles lead to mental and physical exhaustion. Court cases can drag on for years. Meanwhile, you are living with the unknown results hanging over your head, waiting for someone else to decide your fate and future. During a divorce, sometimes it seems that everything is in chaos. Past participants in my Accelerated Mediation program have expressed complete satisfaction and emotional relief in my process, the speed of the results it generates and the agreements that they have reached.

Comments from a client who used by Accelerated Mediation program:
“Richard Cohen and his Accelerated Mediation Program accomplished more in one week than two years of lawyers and court battles in settling my divorce. I wish I had done mediation first. I would have saved many thousands of dollars in legal expenses, years of negative emotions and uncertainty for me, my wife and my children and, most important, settled many issues that the lawyers were simply unable to resolve. I would strongly recommend it. Richard was great. His concern for both of us and his ability to help us come up with a fair and equitable agreement helped almost immediately resolve a horrible and potentially destructive time in our lives. And we did it all in one week." 
(Name withheld for reasons of confidentiality)