Divorce mediation is a professional alternative dispute resolution method to conventional litigation. A licensed divorce mediator assists couples identify, resolve, and agree on all the key issues that require resolving during a divorce. This will include time sharing, child custody/visitation, alimony, the division of assets and liabilities, and property settlement. This process is often extremely affordable for both parties. Divorce Mediation can also be beneficial for the children, their needs, their feelings, and their best interests.
If you are not working with an attorney, but would like to work on your own, it is important that you select a divorce mediation expert, who is properly trained and has experience in this area. To begin, it is essential that your spouse not be aware of your role as the mediator. Discuss your goals clearly with your spouse. Identify how the professional relationship will work and how you will interact with your spouse. Be sure to tell your spouse, whether you will be the one to mediate or if they will remain in the room with you throughout the mediation process.
Your role as a mediator does not end when the divorce mediation process has been concluded. Once your spouse has agreed to the settlement agreement, you as the mediator will continue to help the spouses communicate. During this time, you will also try to reach a compromise on the settlement agreement. The spouses will meet with the mediator at various times, which will depend on the specific circumstances of each case.
There are a few ways to reduce the cost of divorce mediations. You may want to think about hiring additional counselors, such as a social worker or a psychologist. If you have a lot of accumulated debt that will be required to be paid after the divorce, it is a good idea to get a bankruptcy attorney to handle the distribution of the money. This is especially true if alimony is being awarded or if there is a provision allowing for spousal support to be paid in addition to attorney fees.
The most important thing to remember about divorce mediation is that it is an affordable way to resolve the issues between you and your spouse. Most people believe that divorce mediation is unpleasant, but this simply is not true. If your marriage is experiencing difficulties, the last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars on a long drawn out court battle. If you can manage to come to an agreement during the divorce mediation process, you will save hundreds of dollars. There are several things that you should keep in mind during the initial consultation.
It is best to start the divorce mediation process by setting up an appointment with your spouse’s initial lawyer. Discuss your case with this person before contacting a divorce mediator. If possible, have your initial consultation before your spouse has an opportunity to discuss his/her case with their attorney. If possible, start out by informing each other’s attorneys of your intentions. You will be able to work out an agreement that both of you can live with.
During the Divorce Mediation both you and your spouse’s attorneys will determine what issues involved in your situation will be best resolved through a divorce mediation. This list of issues involved will include the division of marital property, issues involving child custody, spousal support and any other issues that you both think are important enough to try to resolve without the help of an attorney. If your spouses’ attorneys are unable to come to an agreement, both you and your spouse will need to hire an attorney to review your case and present it to the mediator.
Divorce Mediation can be a very effective way for both you and your spouse to work things out without going to court. The cost of having the divorce mediator is generally less than the cost of having a full blown divorce proceeding through the courts. Divorce Mediation typically lasts between one and two hours and is generally free of charge. The cost of having a divorce mediator is usually based on the hourly rate, which is generally between forty-five cents per hour to one hundred cents per hour.