Divorce Mediation Services in Minnetonka
If your marriage is coming to an end, talk to your partner about the benefits of mediation. Avoid the lengthy and public legal process of a litigated divorce by seeking divorce mediation in Minnetonka with Divorce Financially. Call us today at 952-428-7800 for a free virtual consultation. The information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes and should not be considered legal advice.
What is divorce mediation?
Divorce mediation, a form of alternative dispute resolution, helps couples seeking a legal separation find a mutually beneficial conclusion without the need for expensive lawyers and an often high-conflict adversarial process. Litigation (going to court) can leave embarrassing or harmful descriptions of a client’s private life in the public record. Mediation eliminates the need for many time-consuming court proceedings and court costs. Mediation benefits couples who need to:
- Save money on the expense of a lawyer
- Protect parties involved in the proceeding (such as children and family members) from negative consequences of litigation
- Navigate a potentially emotional divorce and lead separate lives while making sure that close relationships with children are left unchanged
Here's how it works
When you meet with the mediator as a new client, you provide information about your situation, including your current assets, the children involved, your current needs, and your expectations for the future.
Here’s a link to our questionnaire
The mediator differs from an attorney in several respects:
- There is no attorney-client relationship between mediators and clients.
- The mediator does not act in the best interests of either client but instead aims to create mutually-beneficial outcomes.
- The mediator does not engage in adversarial processes, as is common in family law litigation.
A good mediator stays impartial throughout the process and provides assistance to both parties as they undergo the divorce process. Each party in the mediation might have an attorney or choose to go without representation.
If divorcing couples have children, the mediator often helps them to build a foundation for moving forward as a family even if they are no longer a married couple. The mediator helps the parties agree on child custody, the amount and division of parenting time, child support, and spousal support.
Mediators often have experience and mediation training in fields relating to family law. Some are skilled in financial planning, while others are child specialists or have training in counseling victims of domestic abuse.
here's what to expect
At the outset of divorce mediation in Minnetonka, the mediator asks questions about you, your partner, and your situation. You provide the mediator with documentation to identify key points of conflict. Through several mediation sessions, the mediator guides both parties toward common ground and points out aspects of family law that pertain to their case.
Facilitative mediation helps clients reach an agreement, while transformative mediation aims for deeper changes in the relationship between the clients, going beyond conflict resolution to achieve a win-win outcome. You should not expect to “win” a mediated divorce. Instead, focus on getting what you need to emerge from the divorce well-prepared for the next phase of life.
Once you and your partner agree on the terms of the divorce, the mediator prepares divorce paperwork, including a legally-binding agreement to the terms you and your partner decided upon. The document will outline asset division, any child custody and child support arrangements, and spousal support if applicable.
Unlike litigation, mediation won’t surprise you in the end, and a judge can’t rule against you. The agreement you sign presents only what you already agreed to. The mediator might file a copy with the court for reference, but it does not require a judge’s approval.
Now that you know what to expect; this is what you need to prepare
The documentation that you will need for divorce mediation in Minnetonka depends on how far along you are in the process and your financial circumstances. You should have tax returns, pay stubs, mortgage statements, and bank statements on hand to establish the facts for the benefit of the mediator.
Keep in mind that the goal of mediation is to reach an agreement and not necessarily to prove a case. If both parties to the divorce proceeding agree on certain details, hard proof might not be necessary.
Empathetic mediation with divorce financially
We provide attentive and compassionate divorce mediation services and have helped many clients resolve family law disputes through divorce mediation in Minneapolis, MN. To learn more about dispute resolution and the mediation process, call Divorce Financially for a free virtual meeting. Our phone number is (952) 428-7800.
