If you are starting the process of getting a divorce, you'll likely be going through mediation to try to settle many of the aspects of this legal process. Here are some tips that will help you get through mediation
Determine What You Care Most About
The first thing you'll want to do is determine what you care most about since that is what you are going to want to focus on in mediation. For some people, the thing that they care more about is custody of their children, which could mean having physical custody where they live with you the majority of the time. For other people, it may be keeping the house that they currently live in.
Everyone has their own needs when it comes to getting a divorce, and taking a moment to figure out what you want to fight for will give you a focus during meditation.
Determine What Is Negotiable
There are also going to be aspects of the divorce that you feel are negotiable, which are things that you do not care about one way or the other when it comes to making a decision. This could be retaining physical joint marital assets, such as furniture and things of that nature, which are very easy to replace later on. Your lawyer can help you keep these things in mind if you start making sacrifices for things that you felt were negotiable at the beginning of the divorce.
Determine What Is Non-Negotiable
Be aware that some aspects of a divorce are actually non-negotiable because a judge needs to make a final decision on what you have decided during mediation. It is hard to waive away your right to things such as spousal support or the amount of spousal support you receive. While you can make recommendations for what you are willing to accept, a judge will ultimately approve that amount to make sure that you are getting a fair deal.
Determine What Is Important To Your Spouse
You should also figure out what things are going to be important to your spouse during a divorce, which can be used to your own advantage. For example, if you know that your spouse is going to want possession of the home, you can use that to negotiate for things that you care most about in the divorce.
Your divorce mediation should go smoothly as long as you have these things in mind. Reach out to an online divorce mediator to learn more.
What do family lawyers really do? Most people know that they help clients in divorce proceedings, but this is only a small piece of their job. These attorneys also help draft custody arrangements, create adoption contracts, formulate prenuptial agreements, and designate alternative guardianship of kids in situations of abuse. As you can probably guess, working as a family lawyer requires tact, compassion, and an endless drive to do good. We are passionate about the work that these attorneys do, which is why we chose to write about that work on this blog. Our hope is that in reading these articles, you will also develop an improved understanding of family law.