Mediation has many advantages. I’m pleased to be able to help my clients reap the benefits of mediation for the many issues involved in divorce. I’m Carolan Hardy, a Hingham divorce mediator. I have been helping couples, partners and families arrive at mutually acceptable divorce and child custody agreements for more than a decade.
- Lower cost: Divorce mediation is typically far less costly than taking a case to court. (Learn more about the cost of divorce mediation).
- Timeliness: When you use divorce mediation, you have more control over the process. You do not need to wait for lawyers or court calendars. The process can move as quickly or as slowly as it takes for you and your partner to arrive at a resolution. (Learn more about how mediation works).
- Confidentiality: If your divorce ends up in family court, the proceeding is a matter of public record and your private matters are aired in an open courtroom. In a mediated divorce, your negotiations are confidential. Many couples with significant assets prefer to keep their private affairs private.
- Emotional satisfaction: Couples who work together to arrive at a mutually acceptable divorce agreement are typically more satisfied after the divorce is accomplished. After all, who knows your family better – you or a Massachusetts family court judge who has never met you before?
- Protection of relationships: Taking a case to divorce court is an adversarial process that often leads to hurt feelings that can last decades. Mediation is a process where the parties work together to decide the issues and create solutions to those issues. If you are going to be co-parenting children together, protecting the goodwill that remains between you will be important.
- Agreements that are crafted to the unique needs of the couple/family: While Massachusetts family courts work to ensure divorce agreements are fair and reasonable; there are still many issues in parenting and property division that can be negotiated between the two parties in unique ways.
When Divorce Mediation Will Not Work
While the benefits of divorce mediation are many, there are times when mediation is not a good choice or simply won’t work.
The most obvious instance is when one of the parties does not agree to participate. Mediation is a voluntary process, which means that all parties need to agree to the mediation.
Notice that I did not say “couples who don’t get along” or “parties who do not agree.” Sometimes people just need to air their frustrations before they are ready to begin the process of mediation. It’s my job, as a divorce and family mediator, to help my clients find areas of agreement and to build upon those. If the matters are highly contentious, I can work with the parties separately.
Choose your mediator wisely. Experience and skill can play a role in the ultimate success of your mediated settlement agreement. I am experienced in high-conflict divorce and have extensive training in mediation for all divorce-related issues, including child custody, property division, and alimony (and even elder law matters). I am a Certified Mediator by the Massachusetts Council of Mediation. I attend conferences each year in mediation and earlier this year at the High Conflict Training for Families at San Diego, California.
If you would like to learn more about divorce mediation, call 617-750-9709 to schedule a free initial consultation or contact me. I will respond to you promptly.