As you prepare for divorce mediation, you’ll spend most of your time thinking about the benefits. It provides greater control, it can save you time and money and you can avoid the stress of a traditional courtroom setting,
However, if you fail to prepare for the potential challenges of divorce mediation, it could come back to haunt you by way of lost time, lost money and additional stress. Here are some of the many things to think about:
- Your soon-to-be-ex-spouse doesn’t have to cooperate: There’s nothing you can do to make this person cooperate. Remember, mediation is all about negotiation and compromise. If your spouse isn’t willing to do these things, you’ll go nowhere in a hurry.
- The mediator doesn’t have any power: The mediator is staffed with the responsibility of managing the mediation process, which includes keeping discussions on track and ensuring that all areas of concern are addressed. Unlike a family law judge, the mediator doesn’t have the power to make legal decisions or provide legal advice.
- You have to communicate with the other person: If you’re going through a messy divorce, you know that this can be a big challenge. Communicating with someone you’re not getting along with, especially when so much is at stake, can be a big challenge. When compared to litigation, you’re more actively involved.
- There’s still a chance you’ll head to court: You hope your mediation is successful, but things don’t always work out that way. And if they don’t, you’ll find yourself in court soon enough. Of course, this doesn’t mean that mediation was useless. It simply means you have to take things to the next level to work through all your issues and disagreements.
These are the types of challenges you could face during divorce mediation. As long as you prepare for these in advance, you’ll have a plan in place for protecting against trouble and staying the course.
Don’t let these potential challenges scare you away from divorce mediation. If you prepare accordingly and give it an honest try, there’s a good chance that you’ll resolve your disputes through this process.