A mediated agreement is enforceable in the same way any
agreement or court order is enforced—through court. If your friend cannot afford to
hire an attorney to represent him in court, he still has a few options. He can hire an
attorney just to do the paperwork for him and then go to court to represent himself. This
costs far less than having the lawyer in court. Secondly, he can prepare the papers
himself and go to court for himself. If he does not know how to do the paperwork, he
should check with the court clerk’s office in the county of the state where the case
will be heard. Many states have forms for people to follow in order to prepare their
papers properly for court.
Hopefully, your friend can afford the services of a lawyer
to help with the papers and to advise him on what to include in the papers. An experienced
lawyer’s input in these situations is very valuable. The lawyer can explain the
procedure and suggest strategies. When one parent withholds visitation or interferes with
the other parent’s relationship with the child, it is very difficult to get good
enforcement. Often, a lawyer will have to appear in court several times to get anything
done. By having a lawyer for advice and paperwork assistance, your friend will have the
benefit of legal advice and the savings of self-representation.
Your friend should inquire about mediation programs that
may be available through the court system. Many states have such systems set up for
parenting disputes. These services may even be without charge to the parents.
