If you are considering mediation, you may be wondering about the details of the process. Each mediation process is as unique as each family. The particular issues and amount of time you will need to spend addressing them will vary depending on your particular situation. The following is a general roadmap of what a mediation process can look like.
Initial Meeting
This meeting is informational, introducing both parties to the process, explaining everyone’s role and identifying the issues to be resolved. We’ll also schedule additional appointments at this time (1 meeting)
Assets & Liabilities
At these meetings, we’ll discuss your assets and begin building an assets and liabilities spreadsheet. We’ll determine if we need to conduct appraisals on any of your assets, such as real estate or businesses, and how we will value the assets of the marriage. Once all of the assets and liabilities have been identified and valued, we will discuss the allocation to each party. (1-2 meetings)
Children
These meetings are about your children. Here we’ll talk about the details of your parenting plan, including parenting time schedules, decision making and other provisions that relate to your specific situation. (1-2 meetings)
Income & Expenses
In these sessions will review the income resources of the family and the needs of each household and children moving forward. You will make decisions on the topics of child support and other expenses of the children and spousal maintenance, based on the particular situation. (2 or more meetings)
Settlement Finalization
Once the detailed settlement documents of been drafted, you may have a final meeting (to which your attorneys may accompany you) to review the language of the documents and address any remaining drafting details. (1 meeting)
Remember that each divorce/family law process is unique and yours may take more or fewer sessions than we have outlined to cover the necessary issues and topics relating to your situation. Remember also that mediation can be a useful tool in resolving a variety of family law matters and is not necessarily limited to divorce cases. If you would like to discuss the possibility of mediation in your situation please contact Susan Amato.