Divorce can be a devastating emotional process, regardless whether it is contested or uncontested. Once divorce papers are served, the lives of family members will irrevocably change. It is typically accompanied by harsh judgments and the need for a time to grieve. Two key choices the participants can make will significantly minimize the emotional damage and substantially reduce the trauma to the individuals and the family.
The first is the choice to use a divorce mediator who will help you settle the issues in a manner that provides the clients with privacy, safety and economy, compared with traditional litigation. The second is that the mediator becomes your collective and individual partner in guiding you through the myriad of issues and considerations that need to be worked through to reach a successful resolution. This can include accountants, mental health professionals, and other sources of information necessary for you to reach your best mutually agreeable result.
When it comes to addressing the important issue of your children, a professional family law mediator will help the parties work out mutually-agreeable co-parenting plans that are built around the needs of the children to have contact with each parent. The data from mental health professionals demonstrates unequivocally that the most damaging thing for children is conflict between mom and dad. A professional mediator helps the parties work through difficult differences of opinion that many parents have in order to reach an agreement that accomplishes the goal of reducing conflict between the parents. What the law refers to as “custody”, the phrase parenting rights and responsibilities more accurately describes what is one of, if not the most important issue to address for divorcing parents.
How We Will Support You Towards In the Transition to Your Post-Divorce Life
Because mediation changes the client-experience from confrontational to collaborative, the mediator is able to support each party in working towards a successful resolution. That begins with the initial phase of the process by providing you with a checklist that helps you prepare for the mediation sessions themselves. Included in this service is providing you with emotional support as well as informational and practical support.
Our checklist will provide you with a greater understanding of each and every step in the process, keeping in mind that nothing is binding until you are completely satisfied that what you have agreed upon is what you want the finished agreement to be. More specifically, we focus on supporting both you and your soon to be former spouse during the discovery process of all necessary and important documents that can impact the choices you must make. These documents would typically include: all financial records (including separate bank accounts, joint bank accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts, credit reports, tax returns, retirement accounts, etc.), mortgage statements, medical bills, and other documents affecting your decision-making process and your financial future.
Why Is Preparing for Divorce Mediation So Important?
One of the most important aspects of our mediation process is the fact that you do not need to come in prepared to negotiate. Mediation is the place where you get prepared to negotiate. With a thorough analysis of all the financial information of the marriage, coupled with the development of a full range of your negotiation options, the mediation process is a private space within which divorcing individuals can safely work through preparing themselves to negotiate capably and competently. Unlike traditional attorney-represented litigation, mediation clients are educated about their financial circumstances which helps prepare them for their transition into their new life.
Working through the issues in a divorce provides a client with a safe space to acquire the necessary information for decision-making on the most important issues in your life. It gives you access to settlement possibilities that are considered without being sabotaged by emotions. Divorce is an emotionally challenging experience. What is also true is that emotional decisions are rarely the best decisions in the long run. A skilled mediator recognizes the emotions that clients are experiencing and helps them manage the emotions and make thoughtful, strategic decisions about how those issues are resolved. Consider the following ways that working together in mediation can benefit you:
