For more than 10 months, two parents in a court case had ongoing disagreements about parenting time, the caregivers for their children, and the children’s medical appointments. The parents also changed attorneys multiple times and took issue with the appointment of a guardian ad litem for their children.

Recently, however, the parents participated in Settlement Week at the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. During two weeks each year, the court selects cases for mediation or for a pilot program called neutral evaluation. The cases selected are based on recommendations from judges, attorneys, and involved parties with an openness to discussing settlement.

Through the Settlement Week mediation, the parents who were stalled for 10 months resolved several conflicts. They came to an agreement for increasing the parenting time of one parent and decided to use a shared parenting app and calendar to coordinate medical and counseling appointments.

A benefit of the mediations, which are confidential, is giving individuals a chance to directly air their frustrations.

“Settlement Week helps resolve cases by providing an opportunity for parties, and not just their attorneys, to explain why they were seeking a certain outcome and to reflect on what brought them to this point in litigation,” said Karissa Dodge, the court’s dispute resolution department supervisor.

Settlement Weeks in Ohio are managed by courts, which decide which cases are suitable. If the parties agree to participate, the mediator, who is a neutral third party, guides them as they work to resolve their differences. Judge Lasheyl Stroud led the effort to launch Settlement Week in Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court in 2021. The court has held Settlement Week twice a year since then.

Settlement Week in Franklin County also encompasses a pilot program for neutral evaluations. Experienced professionals called neutral evaluators assess the strengths and weaknesses of each party’s position. The evaluation helps parties and their attorneys make informed decisions about their case and explore possible resolutions. With both approaches, mediators and neutral evaluators offer reduced costs for their services than would be available in private sessions.

At this fall’s Settlement Week in Franklin County, 27 mediations and 17 neutral evaluations were held. As a result of the efforts, 82% of the cases mediated reached a full or partial agreement on their issues, and 60% of the neutral evaluations arrived at complete or partial resolutions.

Another success story involved a seven-month dispute between the parents of three children. Because of the agreements the parents reached at Settlement Week, the children will avoid in camera interviews with a judge in anticipation of a trial.

“The discussions often helped parties identify moments where communication breakdowns or misaligned expectations had fueled ongoing conflict,” Dodge explained. “These conversations encouraged families to explore additional supports, such as parenting coordinators, counseling for the children or parents, or other alternatives.”

Surveys of the participants in Franklin County reveal the value of Settlement Week.

One wrote, “I did not think it would help, but some issues are actually moving towards resolution.”

“We had an excellent mediator that I would 100% work with again,” another said. “She was very solution oriented and helped keep tensions between us in check.”

Courts also benefit. Several Ohio courts that have implemented Settlement Weeks have reduced the number of civil cases on their dockets. Along with lowering the caseloads and resolving disputes across the state, Settlement Week enables courts to focus on other complicated cases that require trials.