Benefits of Mediation in Divorce:
Divorce brings out strong emotions that can become destructive to every member of the family, especially the children of divorce. Joy’s philosophy is that divorcing couples should stay in charge during the divorce process. She believes that Divorce Mediation is empowering, informative and allows couples to control the proceedings.
Research shows that most couples (50 to 90%) are able to reach an agreement using Family Mediation. Moreover, most parents report “substantial satisfaction” after mediation. Parents report that mediated agreements often provide more detail to guide them in the years following divorce than do court orders. Mediation decreases conflict throughout the divorce process and improves cooperation between parents. Mediation is often less than half the cost of litigation. Further, twelve years following divorce, fathers who mediated remained more involved with their children than fathers who litigated (Joan B. Kelly, 2004).
What is Mediation?
Mediation is when two people who have a legal dispute get together with a neutral third person (the divorce mediator) to try to solve their problems.
A Mediator is trained in conflict resolution and family law. Family Mediators help disputing couples evaluate their goals and options in order to find a solution that is agreeable to both people. Unlike a judge, the mediator does not make decisions. Mediation is a voluntary process that offers far more creativity and flexibility than going to court. At the end of the divorce mediation process, you will have a complete divorce mediation agreement ready to be filed with the Family Court.
Experts agree that divorce’s impact on children can be lessened when parents work through conflicts themselves, rather than relying on court decrees. Mediation offers a “win-win” solution, rather than a “win-lose” judgment. Divorce mediation services can be scheduled a time convenient to YOU, not the courts.
Successful child custody mediation decreases the potential for hard feelings and increases the chance that the parties can maintain an ongoing relationship that benefits the children.
Mediation allows you to:
- Keep Control over the outcome
- Stay as Amicable as possible
- Involve lawyers as little as possible
- Keep your costs as low as possible (often less than half the cost of litigation)
- Reach your OWN settlement based on what YOU believe to be fair and equitable