Family Law Mediation Can Help You Resolve Divorce and Co-Parenting Disputes Affordably and Amicably
If all you want is some escapist celebrity gossip, then it is fun to read about the epic legal battles that people much wealthier than you have gone through when dividing their property or parenting time after a divorce. Even the most fearless person can admit, though, that playing out your bitter disputes with your former spouse in front of a judge sounds nightmarish, and anyone who could avoid it would do so. Family law mediation can reduce, and sometimes even eliminate, the role of the judge in cases involving divorce, dissolution of a domestic partnership, and parenting time. Even if a judge must decide some of the issues in your case, participating in mediation makes things less stressful and less expensive. To find out more about mediation in family law cases, contact a Mississauga family lawyer.
How Does Family Law Mediation Work in Ontario?
In family law mediation, the parties to a family law dispute such as divorce or parenting time meet with a professional mediator, who helps them negotiate until they resolve their dispute and sign an agreement, or until it becomes clear that they cannot resolve all aspects of the dispute in mediation, so they decide to bring the unresolved issues before a judge. Licensed mediators come from a variety of professional backgrounds. Some of them are lawyers, but others are social workers or clinical psychologists, among other professional qualifications. The mediator’s role is only to facilitate negotiations. He or she does not give advice or decide in favor of one party or the other. Going to mediation is one of the most reliable ways to ensure that you get to keep a fair share of the property you shared with your domestic partner if you were never legally married to each other.
Before mediation begins, each party meets with the mediator separately. The mediator decides whether the matter is suitably for mediation; the mediator may refuse to engage with the parties if he or she reasonably feels that it is unsafe for the parties to resolve their dispute outside of court, such as if domestic violence is involved. The parties and the mediation then sign an agreement to begin the mediation process; it includes a list of the points of disagreement they wish to resolve. The parties also submit financial disclosures to the mediator before the negotiations begin.
The Role of Lawyers in Family Law Mediation
You should meet with a lawyer at least once before you begin family law mediation. Some mediation relationships involve only the two spouses and the mediator. You always have the right, though, to have a family lawyer represent you in some or all parts of the mediation process.
Contact Zagazeta Garcia LLP About Spousal Support
A family lawyer can help you with the practical aspects of mediation in a divorce, child custody, or dissolution of domestic partnership case. Contact Zagazeta Garcia LLP in Mississauga, Ontario to discuss your case.
Source:
ontario.ca/page/family-mediation
