After you come to the realization that nobody wins in a divorce, after you understand that protecting and nurturing your children should be the primary goal, and after you consider who will most likely walk away with what and who will have to pay what, then you should be in a position to realize the potential benefits of resolving your divorce through mediation.
Mediation is defined as:
An informal process in which a neutral third party or persons called a mediator or mediators act to facilitate the resolution of a dispute between two or more parties. The process is designed to help disputing parties reach an agreement on all or part of the issues in dispute. Mediation is based on principles of communication, negotiation, facilitation, and problem-solving that emphasize the needs and interests of the participants; fairness; procedural flexibility; privacy and confidentiality; full disclosure; and self determination. Decision-making authority remains at all times with the parties, not the mediator.
If the parties are successful in reaching an agreement through mediation, the mediator then puts the terms into writing and the parties give that document to their respective attorneys who prepare the necessary documents.
