Monthly Archives: October 2011


Mediation Prevents Budget Drains

The Model - The Global Education Partnership Initiative

More often than not, a dispute can be traced back to some relatively minor misunderstandings, miscommunications, mistaken perceptions, and frustrated expectations that have nothing to do with legal concerns. Left unresolved, these seemingly ordinary events can escalate, positions can solidify and the problem will become a legal matter.

How many mediations uncover failures in the communications involved in the situation rather than a violation of law?

More often than not, a dispute can be traced back to some relatively minor misunderstandings, miscommunications, mistaken perceptions, and frustrated expectations that have nothing to do with legal concerns. Left unresolved, these seemingly ordinary events can escalate, positions can solidify and the problem will become a legal matter.

Mediation of all types of workplace disputes can happen at any stage in the life cycle of the conflict. Intervention via informal mediation by an impartial third party works and can easily be measured as a cost effective tool.

Any a professional mediator and human resources professional, specializing in employee relations, will tell you that human interactions set the nature of the work environment. A positive work environment is critical to productivity, business reputation, customer service excellence and, indeed, the bottom-line operating costs of any organization.

Of course, researchers have reached this conclusion as well. Therefore, business owners, managers at all levels of the organization, human resources leaders and their legal counsel all have reason to want to mitigate an organization’s exposure to conflict and disputes impacting a work group’s ability to function well.

About the author: Elizabeth A. Moreno, Esq. and Mary O’Neil, MPA are are principals of Centurion Mediation, LLC. Centurion Mediation provides quality mediation for less than 0 in the Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. Centurion Mediation specializes in Employment, Personal injury, Business Disputes, Public Entities and Real Estate.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/mediation-prevents-budget-drains-502138.html



The Steps Taken By Banks During The Connecticut Foreclosure Procedure

Civil Mediation Certificate - The National Judicial College | Judge ...

Understanding the Connecticut foreclosure process is essential if you are to mount a defense to keep your home. Knowing what to expect will help you avoid being taken advantage of by banks who may try underhanded tactics to take your home from you. While it is true that banks generally want money rather than the property, they will do whatever it takes to get what they feel rightfully belongs to them.

Connecticut allows for three types of foreclosures to take place. Judicial foreclosure is the most common process where a judge decides if the debt is owed and what happens to the home. Strict foreclosure happens when there is no equity in the home. The lender files suit for the back payments and the courts gives the borrower a set amount of time to get caught up. If the loan is not brought current then ownership of the property reverts to the bank. Foreclosure by Sale is when the lender sells the property without the benefit of court supervision.

Foreclosure by the bank will start with a notice from the lender advising you that you have thirty days to bring your loan current before they will file paper with the court. If payment is not made within this time period, they go to the next step.

To determine who all the lien holders are on the account, a title search will be conducted. All lien holders, generally whoever is listed on the loan and other financial companies with interest in the house will receive a summons notifying them that the lender is about to foreclose on the home.

You must file a mediation certificate within fifteen days of receiving the summons. It is required that all parties participate in mediation if you are eligible. If you own a single to multiple (up to four) family property and you can answer yes to the questions on the mediation form then you and the bank will go into mediation.

Although you will work with the lender through mediation to renegotiate the loan terms, the lender will continue to file papers with the court. These include a motion for a default judgment due to failure to appear which requests the judge to decide in the lender’s favor should you not appear, a motion for default judgment for failure to plead against anyone who has not filed and Answer motion within two days of receiving court summons and a motion for a summary judgment which asks the court to decide that you do owe the lender money.

One important thing to note is that while the bank may continue to file motions with the court, they will not receive a judgment regarding the case until mediation ends. The time allotted for mediation is sixty days although you may petition the court for more time. If you want to stay in your home, then mediation is the best chance you have to getting the bank to modify the terms of your loan so it is important to participate.

The lender will stop foreclosure proceedings if you are able to successfully negotiate with each other during meditation. Otherwise, it will go to Judgment where the court will decide if to give the house to the lender or to order a sale of the home. The decision is mostly dependent on the home’s value in relation to what is owed on the house note.

The Connecticut foreclosure proceedings are pretty straightforward. Until you are actually evicted from your house, you are afforded many opportunities to put a stop to the court case. Use every tool you have at your disposal to successfully keep your home.

About the Author:
Ct foreclosure can be sad, because no one wants to lose their house, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel.. Connecticut foreclosures happen a lot and no one wants to be out of a house, so you should look for some advice.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Steps-Taken-By-Banks-During-The-Connecticut-Foreclosure-Procedure/1003407



San Antonio Mediation: The Hassle Free Divorce

Marriage Mediation - Better Alternative to Marriage Counseling

Marriage is perhaps one of the most important institutions where there are no defined rules of success. It is a very delicate affair and so when people in the contemporary world who live their life on their own terms feel reluctant to settle for compromises in their marriage, divorce becomes unavoidable. Like people in different parts of the world, San Antonio residents too do not hesitate to seek legal advice of a divorce attorney when they find their marriage going nowhere. San Antonio mediation helps a couple go for a peaceful divorce proceeding.

Divorce does not merely involves physical separation, but there are many financial questions which have to be answered in a divorce proceeding. It is important to resolve the financial concerns in an amicable manner so that everything gets resolved quickly without causing any bitterness in the relationship after divorce and both the partners can continue with their normal lives.

About the author: Higdon, Hardy and Zuflacht are the experienced family law firm in San Antonio and deal in Complex and agreed divorce cases,Pre- and post-nuptial agreements.San Antonio Family Lawyer, San Antonio Mediation,and Child Custody San Antonio.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cyber-law-articles/san-antonio-mediation-the-hassle-free-divorce-1139526.html