When Does Mediation Work?
Mediation is one Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) tool that couples are encouraged to try before beginning the litigation process. Meditation can help you resolve many very important issues, particularly during divorce. You may be wondering whether mediation will work for your unique situation. Johnson Mediation offers comprehensive divorce mediation services in Minnesota and can walk you through the process before you begin so that you can decide for sure whether you think it will work for you.
Mediation most often works when the following components are in place:
One of the primary reasons couples decide to divorce is often rooted in conflict. The conflict in your marriage may have increased to a point that it was no longer healthy for either of you to stay married. In fact, conflict and arguing is one of the most common reasons cited for a divorce. It is important to realize, however, that getting a divorce does not automatically eliminate the conflict between you and your ex-spouse. If you find that you are fighting with your ex-spouse after your divorce is final, you might benefit from Johnson Mediation’s post-divorce
If you are pursuing a divorce and you are considering using a divorce mediator to bring your marriage to an end, it is natural to ask the question, “Will divorce mediation get me what I deserve?” There are numerous variations on possible responses to the question, but the best responses include your having confidence in the divorce mediator with whom you choose to work. If you do possess confidence in your divorce mediator, you will understand that you have a relationship with an advocate who cares not only about getting you what you deserve, but also ensuring that all people who are affected by your divorce are cared for. Johnson Mediation has earned the confidence of our clients, and we would be honored to earn yours as well.
If you have made the important but difficult decision to divorce and have decided to pursue mediation to settle the terms, you may be left wondering how to choose the best mediator for your situation. All divorces are different, and you and your soon to be ex-spouse have to make some VERY important decisions. A couple of examples would include, how to fairly separate your joint assets and property, developing a parenting plan that puts your children first and determining whether child or spousal support is needed. Here are some things to look for when…
Litigation is widely known as the traditional divorce process. In fact, many people assume that once you decide to divorce your spouse, you will need to go through the court system in order to settle the terms of your divorce. Fortunately, this is actually not the case. Minnesota courts actually strongly recommend that all couples try a form of an alternative dispute resolution INSTEAD of the traditional divorce process because of long scheduling delays, unnecessary legal expenses and the courts just not being able to keep up with all of the cases.
The first question that we get asked by many of our clients is whether Minnesota requires couples to go through the court system to settle the terms of a divorce. The answer is a definitive no. In fact, the Minnesota courts and judges actually encourage couples to try mediation before proceeding through the court litigation process. Divorce mediation has distict advantages of a tradional court divorce. Other states have started to follow the Minnesota couts lead by recommending and in some cases require couples try divorcde mediation first.
If you and your family have gone through a divorce over the last few months, you may have a parenting plan in place that outlines how your kids spend their time. Whether this has worked well or needs to be adjusted a bit, summer is often a time that requires some flexibility and potentially changes to a custody agreement. Vacations, changes in day care/school schedule depending on your kids age can turn a schedule that is currently working upside down. Don’t let this stress you out – the staff at Johnson Mediation can help you navigate any changes that you need.
Mediation is an ideal tool to resolve the terms of your divorce and allow your family to move forward in the most positive and healthy way possible. Mediation has many benefits over litigation including a significantly lower cost, less time required, faster outcome and a better chance for long term success. Mediation empowers both parties to negotiate from equal positions, find common ground and illustrate to the children that compromise is possible. Mediation works well even for divorces with high conflict and the court system also encourages all couples to try it before going through the court system.
Divorce may not be something you have spent time planning (or hoping) for, and when you and your spouse decide that your marriage cannot survive, you may feel overwhelmed with emotion and with all of the things that must be done. The emotional and logistical aspects of a divorce can leave you unsure how to move forward. The staff at Johnson Mediation understands how difficult a divorce can be for you and your family. We have developed a divorce planning checklist to give you some guidance about how to take those first steps right away and how to stay on track so that you can move forward with your life.
