If you have made the difficult decision to divorce and have decided to pursue mediation to settle divorce, your next step is to find a divorce mediator that is right for you. Here are 5 tips for choosing the best mediator for your unique situation:
1. Education Focused: You want to choose a mediator who can explain the entire mediation process to you and answer difficult questions about the law and how it applies to your specific situation. Your mediator should also empower you and your divorcing spouse to make difficult decisions about issues such as child/spousal support, division of property and even child custody agreements. A strong divorce mediation firm will also offer many other divorce and parenting education services to their clients.
2. Makes Process Easy and Affordable: Divorce is a difficult process, and that, unfortunately, cannot be changed. But, the process of settling your divorce can be made simpler and straightforward by your mediator, who will often offer a free consultation to allow you to get to know him/her. The mediator will be very clear about the costs of the process (which will be anywhere from 2-10 times less expensive than a court battle).
3. Compassionate: You want to work with a divorce mediator that will truly invest in you, your soon to be ex-spouse and your family. You can often get a sense of this and why a mediator got into this line of work during your initial consultation.
4. Experienced Divorce Mediator: You also want to partner with a mediator who has focused their career on divorce mediation and, as a result, has extensive experience working with couples who are in your shoes. There are many intricacies of divorce law, financial separation, state laws, etc. You hopefully only get a divorce once so you want to be able to rely on your mediator to be the expert.
5. Helps You Look Forward: The ultimate goal of mediation is to settle important aspects of your divorce in a way that works best for your entire family. Your mediator should be willing to refer you elsewhere when necessary and keep the focus on you, your family and your future.
About Johnson Mediation
Johnson Mediation offers comprehensive mediation services to those in the Chanhassen, Bloomington, and Richfield, MN area. Jeff Johnson is a state qualified neutral mediator, social & financial early neutral evaluator, parenting time expeditor, parenting consultant, parenting coach and a parenting class instructor. He also has been through a divorce himself and brings this personal experience and compassion to each mediation case. For more information, call our team at (952) 401-7599.
