Family Law Appellate Mediation Pilot Program

The Minnesota Court of Appeals is currently operating a pilot project for appellate mediation in family law cases. The pilot program, which began in September 2008, is designed with the goal of decreasing the conflict levels for families, decreasing the costs to litigants and the court, and increasing efficiency and litigation satisfaction. The process is structured to reinforce and work cooperatively with the early-neutral-evaluation and other alternative-dispute processes in the district courts.

Referral to mediation takes place after the statement of the case has been filed and the filing fee has been paid, but occurs before the briefing stage and before litigants incur the substantial costs of ordering transcripts from the district court where the case originated.

Although the mediation involves a cost, which is shared by the appellant and the respondent, our research shows that appellate family-law mediation has a great potential to save litigants significant time and money.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Introductory Video (9:31)