Divorce Mediation
If you’re struggling with how to go about facing the reality of divorce, it’s important to realize that a long, hard fought battle in the courts is not your only option. Divorce mediation has become the preferred alternative to a adversarial divorce for an array of monetary and emotional reasons. At Johnson Mediation, we offer our mediation services to couples looking for a more economical and less divisive option for dissolving a marriage.
What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce Mediation is a collaborative divorce process where the needs of the couple, and any family members are valued over a competitive and often adversarial legal process where one or both sides is constantly at war with the other. Mediation is a superior alternative to the typical adversarial divorce process for many people. Because mediation is often much less costly, divorce mediation offers benefits for all involved, including your children, and it offers you and your soon to be ex-spouse control over the entire process.
Unlike a traditional divorce that is a positional based bargaining process, mediation is an interest based bargaining process. We start with what you are interested in achieving and share documentation and other information that is key to laying out a life after divorce. This transparent approach is much different than a litigated divorce where transparency is often missing, which can lead to an emotional roller coaster for all who are involved, especially your children. With mediation, the two of you will sit down with a mediator to come up with creative ways to deal with any issues, make mutual agreements and ultimately plan out a life that works for you, your partner, and most importantly your children.
If you do have children, your divorce mediator will walk you through how to divide property, chart out separate financial futures, and setup realistic parenting plans that work for all parties involved. Your mutual agreements will be summarized into what is called a Memorandum of Agreement that will be used to complete all the necessary legal documents for a divorce.
Divorce Mediation Services
We break down our divorce mediation services to help you understand the wide range of ways we can help you throughout the divorce process:
- Parenting Time – At Johnson Mediation, we’ll help you to establish a parenting plan that will allow children to have a relationship with both parents, which should help encourage parental responsibility to aid in the proper long-term development of your children. We encourage parenting plans that offer structure, but also flexibility based on the requirements and responsibilities of you and your partner.
- Spousal Support / Alimony – Spousal support is discussed on a case by case basis and is based on a wide array of factors. We’ll help you to create of budget of reasonable expenses that can help you to understand what spousal maintenance may look like in your unique situation to determine if it is needed.
- Child Support – If children are involved in a divorce, their needs should always be the most important item to discuss. Child support takes into account the gross income of both parents, as well as the amount of parenting time to help determine that amount of Basic Support, Medical and Dental Support, and Daycare Support needed.
- Division of Property – Dividing property can often be extremely difficult because couples will often have important memories tied to their home and to other assets. It’s critical that both partners consider how their lives will continue after a divorce, and how a fair and equitable division of assets and liabilities can be achieved through mediation.
Comprehensive Divorce Mediation
Our comprehensive divorce mediation services are offered to couples who may already agree on certain aspects of a divorce, but need professional help regarding other decisions such as separating assets and debts, business interests, retirement accounts, credit card and other loan balances, determining spousal maintenance and/or child support, and/or establishing a realistic parenting plan. Whether you need help in many areas or just one item you can’t agree on, reach out to our office to setup a free consultation to discuss our mediation services.
Contact Johnson Mediation Today for a Free Consultation
Johnson Mediation proudly serves a wide range of areas throughout Minnesota, including Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Chaska, Minnetonka, Wayzata, & other out-state cities. Reach out to our team today if you’re looking for more information about our divorce mediation services and how we can help you finally move on to the next phase of your life as quickly, and seamlessly as possible.
We’re always happy to sit down with you for a free one hour consultation to see if mediation could be the right approach for you.