This article defines the role of a divorce mediator and discusses the benefits of using a divorce mediator. A divorce mediator is a person who acts as the third party neutral in your divorce conflict to create a safe space for both parties to negotiate a settlement agreement for their divorce that best meets their needs and that of their children. With the divorce mediator’s guidance, you will work through child custody, child support, spousal support or alimony, and asset and debt division. The divorce mediator will schedule a number of meetings with you to reach agreements on each of these issues. The sessions are set around your schedule and can occur weekly, bi-weekly, or on a monthly basis.
Why use a divorce mediator?
There are several benefits for mediating your divorce, including:
- Secured and confidential environment: Divorce mediation occurs in the mediator’s office, rather than a dreary courtroom. Mediation is also confidential, unlike in a litigated process where your private and personal details can wind up in a public court file for your neighbors to see.
- Productive flow of conversation: For many divorcing couples, communicating with one another is tough and often nearly impossible. The divorce mediator helps create healthy conversation between them. With the divorce mediator’s assistance, the couple can discuss the divorce issues and reach successful resolutions.
- Control of Your Process: In mediation, the couple is in control of their process, not the attorneys or the judge. The divorce mediator helps the couple make legal, binding decisions, which considers their unique interests.
- Creative Solutions: Not every family is the same and neither is every divorce. With the guidance of a divorce mediator, you can come up with creative solutions to your divorce that you wouldn’t be able to in court.. In fact, you can have creative solutions such as holding on to the family residence jointly until the real estate market rebounds.
- Cost-effective: Divorce mediation is cost-effective when compared to other adversarial methods like litigation. In mediation, you only have the divorce mediator’s costs, unlike the costs of two attorneys. Additionally, because the mediator is working with you and your spouse closely, you receive quality time with the sole purpose of reaching agreements. You are not paying for senseless fighting or wasted court time. With the public courts backlogged, you often pay for your attorney to wait for hours in the court hallway for a twenty-minute hearing!
At Families First Mediation, we pride ourselves in formulating creative solutions in a cost-effective fashion, without sacrificing quality results. We put our clients first in their divorce. It’s about them. It’s that important. Give us a call today to see if our divorce mediator can help you!