What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce mediation is an alternative to the lengthy, costly, and adversarial process of a traditional divorce. A mediator is a neutral third party with special training in mediation hired by the parties to help them resolve the divorce issues. Divorce mediation is a voluntary process agreed to by both spouses. If at any time you no longer want to continue with divorce mediation, you can end the process. The mediator does not represent either spouse, but helps to facilitate discussions between the parties to resolve the various legal issues that must be addressed in a divorce. One of the benefits of divorce mediation is that you control the outcome of your divorce.
An impartial third-party mediator helps both parties negotiate the terms of their divorce, including:
- Division of assets
- Child custody
- Child support
- Parenting time
- Alimony
- Health insurance coverage
- Life insurance coverage
Attorney John Ullian is a trained mediator and a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. He is a knowledgeable divorce attorney, with more than 34 years of experience in litigation, negotiation, and appearing in Probate and Family Court. He also authored the book, Divorce – A Consumer's Guide To The Divorce Process.
Benefits
Many couples in need of a divorce are concerned about going through a lengthy, costly contested divorce. They would prefer to keep things amicable and work cooperatively to try to reach a divorce agreement, but are unable to agree on many of the important legal issues that must be resolved. This is when mediation can be a great benefit. Couples who elect to pursue divorce mediation over the traditional divorce process do so for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- It dramatically reduces costs. As opposed to paying two attorneys, the parties pay one mediator.
- It is a faster process – it eliminates months or maybe years compared to the contested, traditional divorce.
- It can dramatically reduce the emotional stress of the parties and of the children by resolving the legal issues through negotiations. The parties agree on the final result rather than leave it up to a third party (the judge) who does not know them or their children.
- It can lead to a binding, final agreement on your terms that can be presented to the judge.
Stop Fighting and Start Resolving Your Family Law Issues
If you believe divorce mediation can help you, then it is essential to use a knowledgeable, trained divorce mediator to assist you and your spouse address the required legal issues. You can contact us online or call 781-848-5980 to schedule your free initial consultation.