Oklahoma paternity mediation

Oklahoma paternity mediation helps unmarried parents save time and money while making the important decisions together regarding custody, visitation and child support.  When agreements are made through mediation - everyone benefits. 

What is Paternity Mediation?

For unmarried parents, a paternity order is the method of officially establishing a parent-child relationship and obtaining enforceable orders for custody, a visitation schedule and child support. Even if an Acknowledgement of Paternity form has been completed - custody, visitation, and child support are not established until a court order has been entered.

With Paternity Mediation, parents (not the court or attorneys) make the decisions. We help you and your child's other parent work out the terms of  custody, visitation and child support that will be entered in the custody order. Parents are also able to address communication issues and to establish a foundation for cooperation. 

Do I Need an Attorney to get a Paternity order?

Mediators don't give legal advice. And parties are encouraged to consult with an attorney if there is a question regarding legal rights. However, there is no law in Oklahoma requiring you to use an attorney to get a paternity order! 

 Once agreements have been reached, we assist you in completing the process by preparing court documents and providing assistance for self filing. Once approved by the court, the agreements made in mediation will become binding and your paternity order will be complete.

How Long and Where Does Paternity Mediation Take?

Paternity mediation generally takes several sessions depending on the complexity of issues and willingness of parties to negotiate. Paternity mediation currently takes place through online-video format with Zoom.

How Much does Paternity Mediation Cost?

Attorneys often charge retainers of three thousand dollars or more per person just to get the ball rolling. The fee for custody mediation services is $2,000.00. This includes two 2-hour mediation sessions as well as drafting the Memorandum of Understanding for the parties to review and sign. The Memorandum of Understanding describes the agreements reached in mediation. This fee also includes the preparation of all court documents to get a court order along with an appointment to go over the steps for self-filing. If additional sessions are needed, fees are $250.00/hour and all sessions are 2 hours in length.

Who pays for Paternity Mediation?

Most choose to split the cost of paternity mediation. However, it's up to you and your child's other parent to decide who pays for paternity mediation.  

We have difficulty communicating - how can this possibly work for us?

It's not uncommon for parents who are no longer living together to have difficulty with communication. We have different strategies to help those who may be uncomfortable communicating with each other.  And we can meet together or separately as needed using online-video mediation with Zoom.

Why should we choose to mediate with Keiter Mediation?

  • We help you work together to reach agreements
  • We simplify the process for you
  • We save you time and money
  • We help you focus on the future
  • We take care of you from start to finish
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