Mediation keeps family harmony intact

After 18 years of marriage, Jeff and Michelle were sad to admit that they had grown too far apart to save their marriage. Although they still loved each other and were concerned about the impact of divorce on their young children, they made the difficult decision to go their separate ways.

Jeff’s parents divorced when he was young. He remembered his parents’ arguments and the stress caused by their custody battle, which included Jeff and his siblings meeting with the family court judge. Jeff and Michelle agreed to do everything possible to avoid this scenario for their children.

At the advice of a mutual friend, Jeff and Michelle agreed to keep their divorce out of court, if possible. Instead, they agreed to work with a family law mediator, even before their case was filed with the court. Whereas litigation is stressful and expensive and forces divorcing spouses to testify against each other in court, mediation allows divorcing spouses to work through their issues in a less-confrontational setting. 

Jeff and Michelle were referred to a mediator who specializes in family law cases. With the help of their mediator, Jeff and Michelle were able to work constructively on a settlement that met their needs, and the needs of their children.  

Once Jeff and Michelle settled their case through mediation, they quickly realized the benefits of making their own decisions, as opposed to allowing a judge to make those decisions for them.  They also realized how much money they saved by paying for mediation instead of paying for litigation. 

Perhaps most importantly, Jeff and Michelle learned through the mediation process that they could still co-parent despite the differences that led to their divorce.