Divorce Mediation

The key to a fair, equitable and ultimately, sustainable divorce agreement is that couples need to be willing to work through their individual feelings of anger, resentment, and mistrust to allow themselves to listen and actually hear the concerns and feelings of their partner. Until that the emotional baggage is cleared away, creating a suitable divorce agreement will be next to impossible.

At Mediate for Life, we guide our clients through this arduous process, sharing techniques to allow everyone to come to grips with their feelings, accept them, and be open to understanding that their spouse is also dealing with issues of their own.

Legal Separations

Obtaining a legal separation, by crafting a legal contract called a separation agreement, is the first step towards a couple seeking to end their marriage. This document addresses, in detail, all the important terms of your divorce, including issues of child custody, alimony, and the division of your debts and assets.

Many couples opt for a legal separation as it allows both individuals to still be legally seen as “married” to allow both spouses to continue to have major medial health insurance.

Couples can then file this document with the court to start the legal process of divorce. Once approved the couple are legally considered separated and the terms of the separation agreement can become the final divorce decree once submitted back to the court to obtain an official divorce decree.

We work with our clients to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that can be used to facilitate a divorce. Some couples, however, need the time after a legal separation to feel their way to a divorce and believe that they and their children are better served with a comprehensive and sustainable parenting plan in place.

Divorces

The key to a fair, equitable and ultimately, sustainable divorce agreement is that couples need to be willing to work through their individual feelings of anger, resentment, and mistrust to allow themselves to listen and actually hear the concerns and feelings of their partner.

Until that the emotional baggage is cleared away, creating a suitable divorce agreement will be next to impossible.

At Mediate for Life, we guide our clients through this arduous process, sharing techniques to allow everyone to come to grips with their feelings, accept them, and be open to understanding that their spouse is also dealing with issues of their own.

Post-Divorce Issues

Once a divorce is considered final by the courts there are still times when the agreed-upon terms of the divorce might need to change. Those times can be difficult and open wounds that are still healing.

Every divorce decree can be amended at any time and that process can be as taxing as crafting the original.We help our clients navigate the details, guide them through the conflicts and help them see things from the other person’s perspective.

Divorce Services

Parenting Plans

A Parenting Plan is an essential need for any couple seeking to end their marriage. It allows parents to come to map out all aspects of their children’s post-divorce/separation lives and brings a much-needed sense of normalcy to a very tumultuous and disorienting time in a child’s life.

The mediation forum allows parents to discuss the details of co-parenting such as: schooling, participating in sports or other extra-curricular activities, religious learning, travel, post-high school education, and introduction to new significant others.

Child Access Plans

The primary concern of any divorce mediation involving families is the “best interests of the child/children.” The dissolution of a family can be extremely difficult for any children who are involved, so creating a sense of normalcy for them in their post-divorce reality is of the utmost importance. We work diligently with parents to create a scheduling plan that promotes healthy relationships between both parents and their children in their new reality.

Custody agreements must take into consideration such variables as employment restrictions or residency limitations and not all agreements can be a 50/50 split. The rule of thumb is that quality of access far outweighs quantity of time in regard to the health and growth of the child.

Holiday Plans

Holidays are the most wonderful times of the year, but for families negotiating life after marriage they can be complicated and cause stress and hard feelings. Creating a transparent and sustainable Holiday Plan not only makes the occasion more enjoyable for all involved, but imparts a sense of continuity and open communication to the children.

House Valuation

A house is more than a home to family members. It is often the heart and soul of the family unit and makes parting with the house an emotional rollercoaster. Possible financial consequences often create feelings of guilt and rage between spouses involved in a divorce proceeding.

Since a family home is often the largest part of the financial picture, it is an important part of the mediation process to explore exactly what each party wants, needs, and expects regarding this valuable asset.

We take a deep dive into the financial footprint of the asset and the liabilities that be incurred by ownership and upkeep of a property. Our network of real estate and banking professional partners allow us to make referrals to facilitate appraisals and financing options to help create an equitable solution for all parties involved.

Financial Evaluation

Making sense of the “Big Picture” of a family’s finances is a large part of crafting a divorce agreement that is considered to be equitable by both parties. We are trained to read and review financial documents such as: bank statements, investment reports, tax returns, last will and testaments, trusts, living wills, durable powers of attorney, and retirement plan analyses.

If couples require a more detailed assessments, we have a network of forensic accountants that we can rely on.