Mediation can be highly productive for couples and families seeking to resolve their disputes and plan for the future without litigation.  With a mediator facilitating the process, clients work through the financial problems and the parenting questions at the pace and in the manner with which they feel most comfortable.  They are the ones who drive the process and who craft their own solutions, albeit with guidance in whatever amount is needed.   The mediator then will draft documents and help you complete the task of finalizing your agreements.

When a divorce has been successfully concluded through mediation, couples often find that the benefits of the process have become greater than they anticipated.  Beyond the fact of reaching settlement – which is itself a large achievement – clients discover that they have found a way to end the fighting, reach deeper resolution of their conflicts, gain acceptance of their current circumstances, and chart a course for the future.

Sometimes mediation works well without involvement of attorneys.    In such cases particularly, mediation can be highly cost effective.  But sometimes, clients will feel more comfortable with attorneys to support them and to reassure them, and the added cost of hiring counsel is well worth it.  If you are committed to mediation as the process that feels right for you, but if you also feel you need legal counsel, then be sure to hire an attorney who will support you through mediation by providing information, feedback and guidance, but not by steering you into an adversarial posture.

Gwen is available either to act as a mediator or to provide legal counsel in support of your mediation process.