When the end of the marriage is inevitable, mediation can lower the cost and relieve the stress of divorce by avoiding taking the proceedings to trial. In California, married couples often use mediation at various points during the dissolution of marriage. You can seek mediation before, during, and after the divorce is final.
The trained Westlake Village family law attorneys at the Law Offices of Ronald K. Stitch can mediate for you and your spouse, always offering a neutral and professional setting to negotiate the important issues of your divorce. Together, we can find mutual ground to finalize your marital settlement agreement.
Mediating Before The Divorce
If you choose to go through mediation before filing for divorce in California, it will open the option of an uncontested divorce. A mediator can help you work through the problem areas you and your spouse cannot agree on.
An uncontested divorce is easy and relatively quick. But more importantly, both parties are happy with the outcome without the need to involve lawyers.
Mediating During The Divorce
Even after you have filed for divorce, and lawyers have entered the picture, a mediator can help negotiate as the couple pushes through litigation.
A mediator may be needed to guide you through the tough issues like untangling the knotted circumstances of a couple’s finances and assets.
If a couple has minor children and cannot agree on a parenting plan, it is California law for a mediator to be ordered by a judge to work out the child custody issues until the parenting plan is resolved. Parents lose the right to challenge the court’s custody orders if they do not participate in the court-ordered mediation.
In order to make use of California’s free court-connected mediation for custody and visitation issues, you will have to file for the dissolution of the marriage first.
Mediating After The Divorce
In most cases, especially couples with minor children, your relationship does not end after the divorce is settled. When one or both of you want to alter anything in the final dissolution judgment, post-divorce mediation can help you agree on changes and iron out disagreements along the way.
Post-divorce mediations can solve common issues associated with divorces like custody or visitation orders, and the amounts of support children or spouses receive. Couples with children can also use mediation to negotiate and agree on terms of visitation requests by grandparents or stepparents.
When Should I Contact A Lawyer?
Taking advantage of mediation has clear benefits, whether you use it before, during, or after the divorce. These benefits can include:
- An amicable divorce
- Better for the children
- Couples have more control
- Less expensive
- A future without resentment and further litigation
Divorces can shape your future. It is up to you to discover that shape, but mediation can be a well-rounded alternative to the traditional rigid divorce litigation.
At the Law Offices of Ronald K. Stitch, our Westlake Village family law attorneys tailor our approach to your unique situation. To learn whether mediation is right for you, contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling 818-237-4574.
