How Do I know if Family Mediation is Right for Me?
As mediation is a voluntary process, each party must be willing to participate. Please connect with them to gauge their interest, or if communication between the parties is strained, ask the mediator to reach out to the other side on your behalf.
A mediator will not make decisions for you or force your partner toward your position; rather, they work with both parties to bring you to a compromise. Once an agreement is reached, the mediator will draft a Separation Agreement for your consideration.
Niagara Mediation has been supporting couples through difficult times since 2016. The Mediator is a lawyer trained in negotiation and conflict resolution to support you throughout the process. Mediators are trained to deal with complex situations and act as neutral facilitators for opposing sides.
What are the Advantages of Family Mediation?
1. Efficient
Mediation will provide a timely way of resolving disputes, often as quick as one month from beginning to end. The judicial process will take much more time (likely 20-30 months), extending the divorce process which may impact your well-mental being. By avoiding court, mediation provides a more efficient way of solving disputes.
2. Cost
Litigation is an expensive process – the more outstanding issues, the longer a trial can become. Involving experts, witnesses, cost awards, and so forth might raise a litigated divorce price even higher. On the contrary, during mediation, both parties pay for a mediator’s services and are interested in getting the issues resolved as quickly as possible.
3. Cooperative
Mediation can prevent further disputes from occurring and it can foster empathy between parties. In many cases, parties come out of mediation sessions with the ability to communicate more effectively. This is especially beneficial when there are children to co-parent moving forward as conflict is reduced. Children who are exposed to more intense conflict between parents are more likely to suffer harm resulting from their parents’ divorce. The lower the level of conflict between parents, the more likely those children will emerge emotionally whole.
4. Privacy
Mediation is a confidential process where you and your partner will not need to be exposed to a courtroom with a public audience. Handling all issues in privacy may reduce a lot of the stress often associated with the divorce process. The Agreement to Mediate can also include terms about information not being reported to third parties. Although you are retaining a lawyer within Niagara Mediation, he is not working for only your best interest and the traditional lawyer/client privilege will not apply. An Agreement to Mediate will be executed early in the process to ensure your privacy.
5. Flexibility
Mediation offers a variety of flexible solutions that may not be as easy to achieve in a court setting. Parties involved in the dispute control the outcomes and can achieve solutions that are tailored to their unique situation.
Conclusion
Mediation is great alternative method when facing a divorce. The process is more amicable which allows you and your ex-spouse to calmly solve all the issues in the privacy of a mediator’s office. Mediation also allows for a greater degree of flexibility as two parties are working together and not against each other to solve the issues at hand.
To learn more about whether a mediated separation is right for you, contact Niagara Mediation for more information.
