It is natural if you and your spouse dread the thought of taking your divorce to court. A courtroom battle adds much stress to an already difficult process and can become costly. That is one of the few facts about divorce that everyone seems to agree on. Using a more collaborative method like mediation may help you avoid the worst aspects of a courtroom setting because of the services of a mediator. During a Florida divorce process, it is important to find a way to work through things peacefully and effectively if you and your partner decide to go with collaborative options. This is where a divorce mediator may come in handy.
But what exactly do divorce mediators do?
What Does a Divorce Mediator Do?
Survive Divorce discusses how divorce mediation works, outlining various aspects of divorce mediation. Divorce mediators help in many ways. Primarily, they act as a guiding force and help both parties reach an agreeable conclusion with as little friction as possible.
Going to mediation means you work with a professional mediator who will help you and your spouse arrive at a final agreement. A mediator is a neutral individual, meaning you can have confidence that the mediator will not have a bias against you. Money Crashers explains that a divorce mediator can fulfill the following actions during mediation.
They do not act as counselors; it is not their job to attempt to fix a relationship or emotionally coach the people through their divorce. However, they offer support while a couple decides how they want to proceed with the split.
For example, a mediator can often see the divorce from an angle that neither member of the couple can see. This allows them to offer unique advice from the perspective of a neutral and unrelated party.
Facilitate Talks and Encourage Solutions
Mediators know that divorces can be tense, so whoever mediates your divorce should help you and your spouse communicate while avoiding strife that could cause the two of you to cut off talks. Your mediator will steer you away from name-calling and casting blame. If misunderstandings arise, your mediator will attempt to clear up matters so the session can continue.
Provide Information
A mediator cannot offer legal advice, but he or she can help you find legal information to understand legal questions relevant to your divorce. They can help guide you through what not to do during divorce if need be. If you and your spouse know how the law looks at your divorce, it could help you conceive solutions. Your mediator may take other actions to help the two of you solve disputes without showing any favoritism.
Draft Divorce Settlements
Once you and your spouse have resolved all of your issues, your mediator can create the final agreement. Since a court will have to accept your divorce agreement for it to go into effect, a professional mediator will ensure that your document is legally acceptable. This will help ensure that the work you and your spouse have put into mediation will not be in vain.
Divorce Mediators Undergo De-Escalation Training
On top of that, mediators have de-escalation training. This means they can step in and help take a situation down a few notches if the couple begins to argue and it starts spiraling out of hand.
Their ultimate goal is to ensure that conversation can happen without interruptions and that each meeting has a good level of productivity. Of course, they cannot do much work if the couple is not willing to put in the effort to cooperate. This is what makes it a collaborative process.
To learn if mediation is a good idea in divorce for your specific situation, contact a Tampa divorce mediation attorney from our firm.
