Family Lawyer
When you begin the process of getting a divorce, you may think it will be successful if you can get out unscathed. This could mean you get to keep the house, you have custody of your children, or maybe it means you simply feel free after it is over. No matter what you are hoping to get out of your divorce, one of the best things you may do for yourself and the end of your marriage is to go through divorce mediation. You may think that you have no hope of ending your marriage on good terms if you have had a difficult time with your spouse. While this may be true, mediation can ensure you have a neutral, third-party available to you who can help you and your spouse come to compromises.
Who hires the mediator?
Both you and your spouse must agree on the mediator during your divorce. If you find a mediator who is good at their job, you and your spouse may be able to avoid the hassle and expense of going to court to have a judge make decisions for you. If you are also working with a lawyer, like a family lawyer from a law firm like Law Group of Iowa then they may have recommendations for mediators they have worked with in the past.
What does a mediation session look like?
You may be wondering what this session might look like. Does the mediator make decisions for you? Does everything get split up equally? Not really. First, the mediator will likely want to set an appointment to discuss how these meetings typically go and they will want both you and your spouse to sign an agreement. After that initial consultation, the mediator will sit down with you and your spouse and go over any issues you may have through the process. The mediator can make suggestions about what to do but cannot make decisions for you and your spouse. It is important that you go into these meetings being willing to compromise on issues, otherwise, you will not get everything out of mediation that you can.
If you and your spouse are able to come to an agreement on the items discussed in your mediation, the mediator (or both attorneys) can draft the agreement and submit it to court for a judge to review. If this occurs, you have a much higher chance of the judge signing off on this and allowing you and your spouse to make decisions regarding the divorce.
If you would like help during your divorce, reach out to a local family lawyer for help today.