The Divorce Mediation Process

Divorce is a tough time. A neutral third party to assist you in navigating the mountains of paperwork and laws can be incredibly helpful. At Strategic Divorce^TM we take the guesswork out of divorce and make sure you come to the best resolution for your family by serving as a knowledgeable yet fair mediator at strategic divorce^TM.

Divorce mediation is a dispute resolution process or technique that brings the two disputing parties together to resolve issues. It has been gaining popularity, and its use is no longer restricted only to disputes with minor children.

Let’s look the five stages of divorce mediation:

• The first stage of divorce mediation is to introduce the process and discuss the scope of the separation conditions etc. At this stage, mediators try to identify both partners’ objectives and help them find a solution. Each party must decide if they want or need a mediator at this stage. If you decide to employ a mediator, the mediator is assigned to you by your local court.
• The second stage of divorce mediation is the information-gathering stage. In this stage, the spouses are provided with information regarding the divorce mediation process, paperwork regarding the settlement process, and the settlement agreement. This is to provide them with sufficient information about the benefits of divorce mediation for which they are considering hiring a mediator. This is also the stage where lawyers suggest to their clients how they should go about negotiating what could be a long-term agreement on issues of children, finance, etc. Essentially, it leads to presenting your case in front of the mediator, who will then help you work out a settlement you can agree upon, if not everything.
• The third stage of mediation is usually when the parties begin to focus on the issues involved in the divorce. This phase is typically when the couples will attempt to define their key possessions in terms of homeownership, pensions, retirement accounts and other forms of liquid net worth. Understanding how to divide these items up helps ensure that there will be less conflict about them down the road!
• The fourth stage of divorce mediation is all about negotiating the terms of the divorce. You’ll work with your spouse to create a legal agreement that details everything from property division to child support during this stage. This phase is often the most involved but relies on trust and openness to make it the most successful.
• The fifth stage of divorce mediation is creating a draft version of the marital agreement. It’s advisable to take time off before taking on this task, especially if you’ve been meeting with your mediator for more than 8 hours per day. Before starting the fifth stage, it’s important to complete any psychological evaluations from the previous stages and both parties should be wary of the potential pitfalls.

We Can Help

Let Strategic Divorce^TM attorneys help you get through the toughest time in your life. Through divorce mediation and our firm’s years of experience in family law, we have helped hundreds of couples work through the emotional and financial impact of divorce, one step at a time. To learn more about our services and fees, call us at (847) 234-4445 and book an appointment today.