I’m a big believer in mediation. It is honest, creative and often times leaves parties in a better place to communicate going forward. In the mediation process, the parties are more involved in their end result and can do things that a judge may not necessarily do, or be permitted to do under the existing laws. Recently, I served as a mediator and at the beginning of the mediation the parties barely spoke and refused to be in the same room. In the end, they spoke openly and reached an agreement on all of their issues.
If you are going to mediation, however, please be prepared: (1) meet with your lawyer before hand to be on the same page and (2) be ready to discuss and resolve all the issues. See below link for more information on mediation. You will also find important information regarding parent coordination; an option to assist parties address unresolved parenting issues in the event they cannot agree.
Please visit: http://www.firstjudicialcircuit.org/programs-and-services/family-law/family-law-mediation
