Participating couples with unresolved issues shall be referred to the Family Court Mediation and Conciliation Program. In Morris County, the Family Mediation and Conciliation Service Program has been operational since February 1985. The program helps separating, divorcing and divorced parents make custody and visitation plans for their children without the stress and expense of a formal courtroom hearing. It gives parents the opportunity to establish their own standards of fairness, to express to each other their concerns about the present and the future, and to fashion their own agreements. The mediator who works with the parties is a court employee trained in mediation and conciliation techniques.
Additional training is available through ongoing seminars and workshops.
Cases are scheduled before a panel of two volunteer attorneys who hear arguments, review evidence, and then make a recommendation. The recommendation is based on the panel's determination as to what is a fair settlement. Parties are free to accept, consider, modify or reject the panels recommendation. Volunteer attorneys must have at least five years experience in the practice of matrimonial law, and must be a member of the New Jersey Bar for at least four years. The Domestic Violence Hearing Officer Program is a Statewide program which enables litigants to request a Temporary Restraining Order and appear before a Hearing Officer, who will review the application for protection.