If you plan to get divorced, you may want to get the process over with as fast as possible with little stress. When you have a more amicable relationship and you and your spouse can work together effectively, you may want to think about divorce mediation to simplify the process. Mediation helps you avoid a traditional divorce in court, making the process faster and less expensive. If you are considering divorce and your relationship is amenable to mediation, the following are some tips to keep in mind:
Work With Your Attorney Prior to Mediation
Although you are eliminating the bulk of the court hearings, you still need an attorney. Once you hire an attorney, you both need to meet ahead of time to make a plan of action for your mediation. Make decisions on what you would like to see in terms of alimony, custody, child support, and other elements of your divorce terms.
Child custody in particular is one you need to plan well before you get to your mediation. You and your spouse may have already spoken about how you want to approach custody, but you still need to have the plan written down to include in your divorce documentation. Be prepared for any curveballs that may happen during mediation, and have a backup plan just in case.
Part of your custody plan must include the division of holidays, where the kids go on school breaks, their sports schedules, and anything else pertaining to your children. Healthcare decisions should also be part of your custody discussions.
Be Ready to Change Your Stance on Divorce Terms
Although you can plan for what you want in your final divorce decree, prepare to negotiate. You may have to make some changes or compromise on different terms to finalize your divorce. To help your negotiation, you should plan to request more than what you expect to receive in the final outcome. This will help ensure you actually have a chance to get what you want.
If you get to the mediation and you do not like how the meeting is going, you have to stop and think about how to proceed. You should speak to your attorney about your concerns and have them possibly speak to your spouse's attorney if necessary.
For more information about divorce mediation and navigating your divorce terms, contact a local law firm, such as Kratosa Divorce Advisors.
Share26 August 2021
When I began the divorce process, I knew that I wanted to change my name back to my maiden name. I no longer wanted to be associated with the family name of the man that I was divorcing. The problem was, I have three kids that all had their father's name. I wanted to know if I would be able to change their last names to my maiden name rather than having them carry that family's name for the rest of their lives. I found out a lot about what it would take and began working to create this blog to help other women wanting to do the same thing.
