Massachusetts Divorce Conciliation FAQs

Absolutely. Conciliation is well suited to Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms.

Delays to trial time and court availability due to Covid have drastically increased demand for conciliation for parties who are seeking to litigate their case but find that courts simply are not available to advance case in timely manner. Conciliation allows parties to receive feedback from qualified third party in a speedy and efficient manner without fully “pausing” case to attempt mediation. Moreover, because conciliation offers a more robust format than mediation, litigants often find that conciliation offers a preferable forum compared to mediation, which tends to be a less authoritative process.

Most (although not all) conciliation clients come to the process after hitting and impasse in litigation. With the Covid crisis drastically reducing access to courts, many parties and their attorneys are now seeking conciliation where judges are simply not available. Conciliation often represents a middle ground between fully committing to mediation vs. continuing with litigation. Because most conciliations include the participation of attorneys, the conciliator is often suggested and/or selected by the attorneys.