Fees for Family Mediation:

        Family mediation is not inexpensive. While successful mediation is generally less expensive than the traditional adversarial process, this is so because the cooperative process takes less time than the adversarial process.

        Mr. Peterson's fees are comparable with fees for family attorney time for professionals with similar background and experience. Normally each session is charged for as it occurs. It is generally requested that each party pay a portion of the fees of the mediation process.

        Exact arrangements concerning fees are agreed at the initial mediation session and are often set forth in an agreement to mediate.

        The following is Peterson Mediation Services' General Fee Schedule, for cases held in its core locations is Anchorage, Alaska; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Denver, Colorado.  Fees for other areas of the country are similar, but also include travel, which should be negotiated in advance:

• Initial Family Mediation Session (normally two to two and 1/2 hours)           $400.00
• Subsequent Hourly Sessions (per hour)                                                 $250.00
• Half Day Session (3-4 hours)                                               $750.00
• Full Day Session (6-8 hours)                                                                 $1,500.00

        In addition, an Administrative Fee is often charged to cover the cost of necessary time spent by the mediator outside of the mediation sessions.  These fees vary widely depending upon the circumstances of each case, and are normally discussed and collected in advance.