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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is mediation?
Mediation is a process in which an impartial person, the mediator, facilitates communication between the parties to promote reconciliation, settlement, or understanding among them. The mediator may suggest ways of resolving the dispute but may not impose the mediator’s own judgment on the issues for that of the parties. The mediator may not give any party legal advice.
Where do you hold mediations?
I do not maintain my own office space and generally hold mediations in one of the attorney’s offices, if the parties are represented by counsel. If the parties are not represented by counsel or neither attorney is able to host the mediation in their own office, then I have some alternative arrangements that can be made.
What types of cases do you mediate?
I mediate all types of civil cases, including but not limited to family law, probate, guardianship, landlord-tenant, and business disputes.
Do you only mediate Collin County cases?
No. In the course of my career, I have worked with parties with cases in courts throughout North Texas, including but not limited to Dallas County, Collin County, Tarrant County, Denton County, Johnson County, Rockwall County, Ellis County, Hunt County, Delta County, and Grayson County.
Do you offer flexible scheduling?
Life doesn’t always happen between 9-5. Based on availability, I’m happy to offer evenings, weekends, and alternative start times. If you require a weekend or evening scheduling, please contact me at 214-937-9209 or by email at mediations@sharoncorsentino.com.
If there’s a date you really want and it is not available on my online calendar, call or email me. Sometimes there is flexibility in my schedule and I can accommodate requests for a specific date.
What type of training have you had as a mediator?
I completed the 40-hour civil mediation training and 24-hour family mediation training in 2008 and began mediating cases in 2009. Since 2009, I regularly attend conferences and trainings focusing on mediation and negotiation. In December 2017, I completed the newly-mandated training for domestic violence issues for mediators.
In addition to consistently attending trainings about mediation both as a participant and as a presenter, I have taught the 40-hour civil mediation training and 24-hour family law training at El Centro Community College and teach family law mediation at the University of North Texas.
Do you conduct any online mediations?
Yes, prior to the pandemic, I was already conducting online mediations via various applications such as Skype and FaceTime. Since March 2020, I have conducted hundreds of mediations via Zoom.
Will you mediate cases for people who do not have attorneys?
Yes. Prior to mediating a case for parties who are not represented by counsel, I like to meet with both parties at the same time to make sure they understand the mediation process. It is imperative to understand that, although I am an attorney, I cannot serve as an attorney for either party in the mediation and they will be responsible for seeking their own legal advice. Maintaining the highest ethical standards is important to me.
HELPFUL LINKS
Collin County District Clerk: http://www.collincountytx.gov/district_clerk/Pages/default.aspx
Dallas County District Clerk: http://www.dallascounty.org/districtclerk/districtclerk_index.html
Denton County District Clerk: http://dentoncounty.com/Departments/District-Clerk.aspx
Tarrant County District Clerk: http://access.tarrantcounty.com/en/district-clerk.html
Texas Attorney General – Child Support Division: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cs/welcome-to-the-child-support-division
Collaborative Divorce Texas: http://collaborativedivorcetexas.com/
Kids in the Crossfire: The Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) produced a short video about the effect of parents’ behavior on children during divorce. It’s free and can be accessed via this link. http://www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/projects/kids-in-the-crossfire/
Split: http://www.splitfilm.org/ This is a really touching movie about the effects of divorce on kids in their own words. It’s 30 minutes long and is available for digital streaming. For parents going through divorce, I think it is money and time well spent to watch this.
The Texas Young Lawyers Association puts out a lot of good general resources for the public, including brochures about guiding teenagers and children through divorce. Link to TYLA’s Resource Page.
Call 214-937-9209 or email mediations@sharoncorsentino.com for more information.