Florida Divorce Mediation Made Painless
Only the ugliest divorce cases go to trial, but almost all divorces go through mediation. The courts of Florida require couples seeking a contested divorce to attend family mediation before it will schedule a trial; most of the time, couples are able to finalize a marital settlement agreement (MSA) during or shortly after mediation, so they end up not needing to go to trial. You might worry that mediation is pointless, since, if it were possible for you and your spouse to agree on things, you wouldn’t be getting a contested divorce. You might also be resentful about having to pay a mediator to do something that, in your opinion, should be the judge’s job. Perhaps you are skeptical that, in a single day, a mediator can get you and your spouse to agree on how to divide your marital property and parenting time. The good news is that family mediation does not take very long, and that most couples are able to get their divorce cases ready for a judge to sign off on them after a single session of mediation, but you are more likely to be successful in this regard if you work with a Boca Raton divorce lawyer.
Let Your Lawyer Do the Talking
Florida law allows parties in a divorce case to bring a lawyer with them to family mediation but also allows them to represent themselves during mediation if they choose not to hire a lawyer. Having your lawyer speak on your behalf makes divorce mediation a lot less stressful, no matter your situation, but there are certain situations in which not having a lawyer puts you at a major disadvantage. The times when you need a lawyer the most in mediation are when your spouse has a lawyer and when your spouse has more income or separate assets than you have. You and your spouse should write an MSA proposal ahead of time to present to the mediator.
You Might Not Even Need to Be in the Same Room With Your Ex
Even if you have a lawyer, and if you and your lawyer get along well together, spending an entire day in divorce mediation (or anywhere) with the spouse you are divorcing is not a pleasant experience. The good news is that you and your spouse do not need to be in the same room very much, or even at all, during the mediation session. Some divorce mediators use the shuttling method, where they talk to one spouse in one room, and then meet with the other spouse in another room, going back and forth between the two parties as many times as it takes to draft an MSA or decide that a trial is the only solution.
Contact Schwartz | White About Divorce Mediation
A South Florida family law attorney can help you save time and money by negotiating a satisfactory settlement during mediation instead of going to trial. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Alternative-Dispute-Resolution/Mediation-in-Florida
