Divorce and Family Mediation
Separation and the end of a marriage present a plethora of problems, both emotional and financial. The addition of litigation in the middle of one of life’s preeminent crisis is simply not the best expenditure of your money and time. So many other issues are involved when families separate and through our work we try to limit the anxiety and harassment of the unknown, putting you in control of your ultimate settlement.
Family Mediation is a viable alternative to the vagaries of divorce. You and your spouse along with the assistance of trained mediators, mental health professionals, financial professionals and a team dedicated to your matter will attempt to resolve your issues so that they work best for you. The issues include parenting rights, parenting agreements, custody, child and spousal support and the distribution of your assets and liabilities. The hope is that , the parties are able to reach a final agreement to be drafted and reviewed by not only the parties but also their own review attorney should they decide that same is appropriate. The agreement that is drawn up is not a boiler plate agreement, but rather a comprehensive agreement designed and structured for your matter. It will have all of the effect of a formal Court order without the Court system interjecting its own ideas for your family. Mediation allows the parties to craft solutions that the Courts do not have time for, imaginative and creative ways to solve seemingly infinite and unsolvable problems.
By mediating you demonstrate to your spouse and your children that you want to resolve this matter and keep the family unit intact. You and your spouse, assuming you have children will spend many years parenting them; showing them your willingness to put aside your personal differences will certainly indicate to them that mom and dad want to protect us and both love and care about us.
If there are no children, try to remember that cooperating with each other in bringing your matter to a conclusion will allow you to maintain a cordiality that may be helpful in the future.
Holding onto family assets and not using same to fund endless litigation is a benefit of mediation. In this economy it is not positive when you have to deplete savings plans, retirement accounts, 529 plans and the like, all to fund litigation against each other.
We want to help you bring your matter to a conclusion that at the end works for your specific family. Issues such as health insurance and college expenses have moved to the forefront with new laws passed by Congress. The real estate market has created additional issues that are unique to our time and financial state. Many homes are “under water” with more debt than equity. We work together to resolve even issues that seemingly are impossible to bridge.
Click here to learn about issues resolved during family and divorce mediation.
Photo credit: indecision dice by snigl3t, on Flickr
