Mediation Provides Confidential Divorce Negotiations

A conflict-heavy divorce takes a huge toll on a family. Arguments and hostility can create untenable home environments that can lead to years of resentment between parents and their children.

To combat this hostility, many couples use mediation to draft their divorce resolutions. Mediation offers a couple and their family many benefits that can keep discussions confidential and prioritize fairness and compromise.

Protect the family legacy with mediation

When a couple pursues divorce, they can ask the judge to rule for mediation. In most cases, if a couple expresses enthusiasm about collaborative resolution, the judge will approve mediation.

Once approved, mediation provides families several benefits, some which last well into the future:

• Choice of mediator: In traditional litigation, neither party has a say over their judge. With mediation, the couple chooses the mediator themselves. A mediator will not issue rulings or declare either party at fault for the divorce. Instead, a mediator guides the negotiations toward understanding and compromise. The disputing parties design their agreement themselves, knowing what is best for their family.
• Confidential negotiations: Mediation is a confidential process, ensuring that all negotiations are secure and protected. In a courtroom, a stenographer records every word said. These transcripts are a matter of public record and can resurface in future disputes, resurfacing pain and embarrassment. Mediation keeps all things said private, indefinitely.
• Less expensive, more convenient: Mediation costs considerably less than a courtroom divorce. A couple does not have to pay court or personnel fees, lawyers usually charge less for mediated hours and some state courts pay for the mediator. Additionally, spouses will not have to wait for a court date, allowing them to start (and finish) negotiations at their convenience.
• Better results: Studies indicate that people who use mediation feel more satisfaction with the negotiations and the result, even if they had to eventually go to court. Mediation allows a family to write their own future, recognizing and respecting what parents built together. Mediators impart communication and collaboration tools that co-parents can use to solve disputes for years to come. Mediation puts the decision-making into the hands of the people who know best.

Questions about mediation? Consider asking an attorney

Parents likely have many questions about the mediation process. A local lawyer familiar with Michigan divorce laws can provide answers, recommend highly rated mediators and draft comprehensive legal agreements that serve the family.