Legal Aid

News & Publications

06-5-2015

 

SAVE TIME AND MONEY THROUGH

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

ADR.

MEDIATION vs. LITIGATION

The differences between Mediation and Litigation are that, Mediation is less expensive than Litigation.  For instance, in litigation, attorneys' fees can range between $350 per hour to $500 per hour. With this type of fees you might end up paying for your case up to $100,000.  In Mediation, the costs are much more lower, it average between $150-200 per hour and usually is split between the two parties, that is, $75-100 per hour. If you resolve your dispute within 3 hours at $75 per hour; your costs are very, very low when you compare it to the cost of Litigation.  It is a no-brainer.  In Litigation attorneys won't even start a case unless you pay a retainer fee consisting approximately to $3,000-10,000.  In Mediation, you only pay an advance of $150 and then you pay as you go with the process per hour.  

 

Another feature that makes Mediation more appealing for both parties is that you can save time.  Currently, a case that you file in court might end up taking between 2-5 years or even more before it gets resolved, and most of the time, while in this process you might end up settling anyways. Even small claims cases that most of the time get resolve in one day, you still have to go through the painful process of trying to collect. In Mediation you can resolve your problems in hours or in a couple of days.