Lansdale lawyer Kevin Regan says Montgomery County has mediation available in divorce and child custody cases, but most of the time it’s not a good idea in divorce cases. “There’s too much at stake or one party wants something and the other party is not even close to coming to an agreement with it, and you’re going to have to pay for it out of pocket, and if it fails you’re going to have to hire an attorney.  Both of you are.”

Lansdale lawyer Amy Stern says people need to know what mediation is before going into it.

“A lot of times one spouse says to the other spouse, ‘We don’t need lawyers.  Let’s just go to a mediator.’  You need to know what a mediator is.  I am a mediator.  I am also an attorney.  You can’t give legal advice and be a mediator.”

Stern says people should talk to a lawyer and know their legal rights before going into mediation.  She and Regan appeared Wednesday on the WNPV talk program Legally Speaking.