Estate Mediation

Fighting over the will?
Resolve the feud, family or otherwise, with the help of an experienced mediator

A contentious courtroom battle over the family fortune usually makes for good drama-on television, but not in real life. The real world of litigation consists of legal fees and costs as well as time, frustration, and uncertainty. When cases reach the courtroom, the family laundry, dirty or otherwise, is on display for everyone to see. If that isn’t bad enough, estates are often depleted in the battle for control and ownership of family jewelry or other treasures that transition from one owner to another.

But a courtroom battle isn’t always necessary to resolve disputes that arise over an estate. Pennsylvania now provides another forum in which to resolve these problems, as well as other important issues like accountings, guardianships, trusts and trustee matters, and other legal actions within the unique jurisdiction of the Orphans Court. This new forum is Mediation.

At Daley Zucker, LLC, our trained estate mediators, Attorneys Patricia Carey Zucker and Vicky Ann Trimmer, can walk you through the estate mediation process with ease. If you would like to explore estate mediation to preserve family relationships, resolve conflicts amicably and save on legal fees, the first step is a conversation with our legal team.

How It Works

Mediation is an opportunity for the parties to develop resolutions to the legal and often factual disagreements between parties, with the aid of an experienced mediator. Mediation can be used before or even during a court-filed action. A new procedure in Pennsylvania Orphan Court matters, Mediation has been used in civil legal proceedings for decades, with impressive results.

Mediation is voluntary and can only be used if both parties agree. The costs of Mediation are paid by the parties and are generally less than litigation; however, there must be good faith between the parties in order to achieve a workable and effective resolution to the Orphan Court matter at hand.

Mediation is an alternative way to get significant financial/emotional, long-standing issues between the parties resolved.

Want to know more about the Mediation process and if it’s right for your case?