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→Resolving family law problems
If you have a family law problem now, or might have one in the future, you have two ways to deal with that problem: you can talk to the other person and try to make a decision about the problem together; or, you can ask someone else to make the decision for you. Really, there's also a third option. You could also walk away, refuse to deal with the problem, and wait to see what happens. This is usually a terrible way of dealing with family law problems.
If you want to try to make a decision about the problem together, you and the other adults involved in the problem will need to agree on a way of solving the problem , and your decision will usually be written down in a formal way. Reaching an agreement like this usually means that you have to negotiate — bargain — with each other. You can negotiate face to face, or do it through lawyers. ''Mediation'' is a kind of negotiation that uses a specially-trained person, a ''mediator'', to help people talk to each other and find a settlement. ''Collaborative negotiation'' is a kind of negotiation that uses specially-trained lawyers, and sometimes also people who are experts about money or experts about children, who work together to help people find a settlement.
If you want to ask someone to make a decision about the problem, you can go to court or you can go to an arbitrator. If you decide to ''litigate'', you will be starting a public court proceeding that will wrap up a few years later with a trial before a ''judge'', if your family problem isn't resolved by a settlement before then. If you decide to ''arbitrate'', you will be starting a private process that will wrap up a few months later with a hearing before an ''arbitrator''.