Hays County, TX · Free Consultation
San Marcos, TX Mediation Lawyer
What Our Clients Say
Deciding whether to mediate or head to trial is one of the biggest choices in a family case. In San Marcos, SMB Law, PC helps clients weigh the real tradeoffs between the two. A San Marcos mediation lawyer can lay out honestly when mediation will serve you better than a trial, and when it will not. Shane has been licensed since 2003 and personally helps Central Texas clients make that call with clear eyes.
San Marcos clients often assume trial is the only way to truly win; more often it is the slowest, costliest, and least predictable path.
Where a San Marcos case is decided either way
San Marcos is the seat of Hays County, so whether a case settles in mediation or proceeds to trial, it runs through the Hays County District Clerk at the Government Center in San Marcos.
Mediation versus litigation: the real tradeoffs
The choice between settling in mediation and fighting to trial comes down to a few honest tradeoffs. Cost: mediation is almost always far cheaper than a contested trial, which requires extensive preparation, experts, and days in court. Speed: a mediated case can resolve in weeks, while a trial can be months out on a crowded docket. Control: in mediation the parties craft their own outcome, whereas at trial a judge who barely knows your family decides everything — and you may not like the result. Privacy: mediation is confidential, while a trial airs your finances and family conflicts in an open courtroom of record. The tradeoff for those advantages is that mediation requires compromise; you will not get everything you want. Litigation makes sense when the other side will not deal in good faith, when there are genuinely irreconcilable legal issues, or when safety or hidden-asset concerns make settlement inappropriate. We help San Marcos clients make this call clearly — pursuing mediation when it serves them and litigating when it truly does not — rather than defaulting to the most expensive path out of anger.
Choosing the path for the right reasons
The worst reason a San Marcos client can choose trial is anger — and it is a common one. Litigation feels like vindication, but it is slow, expensive, public, and hands the decision to a stranger in a robe, and the person who insisted on a fight to ‘win’ often ends up worse off than they would have in a negotiated deal. That said, mediation is not always right either; pushing a client to settle when the other side is hiding assets, acting in bad faith, or endangering a child would be its own failure. Our job is to give San Marcos clients an unsentimental read: what a realistic trial outcome looks like, what it would cost in money and time to get there, and whether the disputed issues are actually the kind that trial resolves better than negotiation. With that picture, the choice usually becomes clear. Most clients, seeing the tradeoffs honestly, choose to resolve what they can in mediation and reserve the courtroom for the issues that genuinely require it.
Working with us from San Marcos
Our office is about 30 miles northeast in downtown Austin via I-35. We handle most San Marcos mediation preparation by phone, video, and e-signature, and attend with you.
At SMB Law, PC you work directly with attorney Shane M. Boasberg, who has represented Texans for more than two decades and has been licensed by the State of Texas since 2003. We prepare you thoroughly for mediation, explain things in plain English, and keep you informed from your first confidential consultation through a signed agreement.
Why clients choose SMB Law, PC
- Direct attorney access — you talk to Shane, licensed since 2003, not a call center.
- Real preparation — we walk into mediation with a plan, not just hope.
- Transparent fees explained before you commit.
What working with us looks like
- Confidential consultation to understand your goals and whether mediation fits.
- Preparation — gathering the financials and framing your priorities and offers.
- The mediation session, where we negotiate on your behalf toward an agreement.
- A signed settlement turned into a court order so it is final and enforceable.
Settling without the courtroom
Hays County courts routinely send family cases to mediation before trial — and most settle there. For San Marcos couples that means a confidential day with a neutral mediator instead of a public courtroom, and an agreement you shaped rather than a ruling you received. Preparation is everything: valuations ready, custody proposals concrete, priorities ranked before you walk in.
Frequently asked questions
Does mediation work when we can barely speak to each other?
That’s when it works best: the mediator shuttles between rooms, and most cases settle anyway.
Is mediation cheaper than going to trial?
Almost always. A contested trial requires extensive preparation, possibly experts, and days in court, while mediation typically resolves a case for a fraction of that.
Who controls the outcome in each?
In mediation the parties craft their own agreement; at trial a judge who barely knows your family decides everything, and the result may disappoint you.
Is mediation private?
Yes. Mediation is confidential, while a trial airs your finances and family disputes in open court on the record.
When does litigation make more sense?
When the other side will not negotiate in good faith, when issues are genuinely irreconcilable, or when safety or hidden-asset concerns make settlement inappropriate.