To iron out matters in your divorce case, mediation in divorce is effective and often times required by the ruling court. Five hundred dollars ($500) will usually cover the cost of a mediator as opposed to the fifteen hundred dollars ($1500) required by lawyers to get your case started. If you want the mediator to testify in your case, now or in the future, your mediation privacy will need to be waived.
Many time mediators are mental health professionals, lawyers, or child development experts. They are not required to be licensed, so do your homework to be sure they are. They will be your authority on divorce laws in your state, how the courts will rule on certain issues, and legal consequences of your decisions. You will want to choose the most knowledgeable and experienced.
These professionals like to meet with both parents together. The main purpose is to solve problems. The mediator will want to know how you describe your children and what you think your custody arrangements should be.
Parents and mediators sometimes prefer to include the kids. They wish for the kids to feel that their input is important. A fresh idea may even be offered by the children. Children should be left out of the finance and asset division discussion. However, the inclusion of the children keeps the focus on the kids, not on the adults.
The mediator can draft a document for filing with the court or a lawyer can draft a custody agreement from your meetings that would be your binding legal document. The most effective and cheapest way to handle your divorce is to solve all of your problems through mediation.
Problem solving sessions like these push you and your ex through the impasse of difficult decisions. The mediation in divorce process gets both of you headed in the right direction toward resolving your conflicts.
Parents will want to impress upon their mediator that they are the best parent for the children and the most cooperative. The mediator will set ground rules for the meetings and parents will want to be on their best behavior to work out the best child custody plan for the sake of their kids.
Mediators can be found through the local bar association, area social service agencies like the department of human services, and the clergy. If you're still stuck, national organizations like the American Arbitration Association in New York City and the Association for Conflict Resolution in Washington, DC can help make recommendations.
------
Lil Lyon is passionate about kids having the best chance at life. She started:
http://www.forchildcustody.com to help parents deal with the tragedy of divorce. Casualties in divorce include kids and Lil helps parents through the murky waters of winning the
best child custody plan for their kids.