This is not true. Because mediation has become more popular, more mediators are beginning to practice. Many mediators dabble in mediation, and there are those that mediate full time. It is important for mediators to have a working knowledge of the divorce statutes.  The law provides good guidelines, yet it was not written specifically for you.  In contrast, your agreement can be.  Couples can be so much more creative when they are educated but retain control over their own situation.  A good mediator can facilitate both parts of that process and help the parties reach a win-win outcome.

This is a scare tactic that some attorneys use to dissuade a client from mediating prior to hiring counsel. This is simply not the case. The mediators will spend considerable time educating the couple about the guidelines and statutes the courts use when making a ruling. The mediators will not be advising the couple or an individual regarding what they should do on legal matters. This would comprise the impartiality which is paramount in the mediation.  However, once you are informed, you will have the knowledge necessary to avoid being taken advantage of by your spouse. Additionally, the mediator will help ensure a level playing field during discussions between you and your spouse. Our mediators will not put together an agreement that is not compliant with the state laws or is grossly one sided.  Also, the mediators will encourage you to have your agreement reviewed by an attorney of your choice.  Most couples who use us do not hire an attorney, because they are able to reach a balanced agreement without counsel. However, our mediators also mediate for couples with their own counsel in attendance at mediation. An attorney who is pro mediation can be a great resource if a party feels more comfortable using an attorney during mediation.

The true value of mediation is not in the amount of money that the couple saves but in the quality of the agreement. The Divorce Mediation Institute of Utah has handled many high dollar, high profile divorce cases, including celebrity divorces, because it is a confidential process that avoids the public eye. Mediation is less expensive and takes less time and should not just be looked at as the “cheaper” route. However, if cost is the most important issue to a couple, they will definitely get more “bang for their buck” by using mediation.

Genell Greenberg, MSW, Esq., has a dual background in social work and law. She practices in Del Mar, California, where she specializes in family law and divorce mediation. “In my experience,” she says, “women are just as successful as men at mediation. The concern that women may be at a disadvantage arises from two myths: ‘women don’t know — or they are unable to learn — about financial issues,’ and ‘women will always give in to keep the peace.'”

Your mediator, who is an impartial professional, should create a safe environment that won’t allow either of you to get “ripped off.”

Sharon Beskin-Goodman, LCSW, a therapist/mediator in Red Bank, New Jersey, points out that mediation has never been gender-biased. “Traditionally in the system, women feel a financial imbalance and men feel a custody imbalance,” she says. “In other words, women may have more parenting time with the children, but proportionally less money, whereas the male has less parenting time but more of the family money.”

If you mediate your divorce, both parties can be empowered. The mediator will listen to both sides, and then he/she will help you create a fair plan that’s in your family’s best interests.

Beskin-Goodman says that you’re the best person to look out for yourself. After all, who better understands your needs?

“Mediation can be an empowering process,” she says. “It can help the spouse who feels intimidated gain strength through education and knowledge. The process can also help the intimidated spouse begin to address issues and open up a line of communication which — especially if there are children — is very important and will always be necessary.”

Douglas Schoenberg, a mediator and lawyer in Summit, New Jersey, agrees with Beskin-Goodman, adding that mediation can build your knowledge and self-esteem. “Mediation is good training for dealing with your ex-spouse after the divorce is over,” he says. “In fact, mediation is good training for everyday life.”

According to Schoenberg, mediation is not marriage counseling. It can help couples learn to communicate better, but it’s not intended to get them back together again. “Mediation is for people who want to move on with their lives,” he says.

Kenneth Neumann, a co-founder of the Center for Family and Divorce Mediation in New York, has worked in the field since 1982. Neumann points out that one of the parties in mediation may be secretly — or not so secretly — hoping for a reconciliation. “But if the other party is clear about wanting the separation or divorce, then the mediator needs to help the couple reach a consensus,” he says. Sometimes that means helping one spouse to realize that the marriage is really over — and to start making choices that aren’t based on being part of a couple.

Forrest Mosten is a certified family law specialist and mediator, a partner at Mosten & Barbakow in Los Angeles, CA, a member of the academy of Family Mediators, and the author of The Complete Guide to Mediation. He says that most people going through divorce have communication problems. The couple may act out in many ways: some shut down the communication process completely, while others act in outrage. “Mediators are trained professionals who work with couples to maximize their communication and help them resolve their issues,” he says. “A mediator can help you move on with your life.”

There are many complex issues — legal, financial, and emotional — that must be resolved before a divorce can be finalized. According to Mosten, “More and more couples who have complex financial and legal issues are choosing mediation because they want to reduce lawyers’ fees. If issues are complex, you may also need to work with an ‘unbundled’ lawyer as a coach.” (Mosten explains “unbundling” as “the process of breaking down the roles a lawyer might play into smaller groups of tasks. The client is in charge of determining which services are to be performed by the client, which services are to be performed by the lawyer, and the extent or depth to which the lawyer will perform the services.”)

Mosten adds: “Anything that can be decided by a judge can be worked on in mediation — at a fraction of the cost and time, and with less wear-and-tear on the family.”

Neumann agrees that complex issues can be dealt with in mediation, and in a more effective manner than litigation offers. “For example, when it comes to tax issues, couples will fight for different tax positions, never really looking at the overall best tax strategy,” he says. Neumann adds that in mediation, most couples can often agree on strategies that allow both parties to come out ahead financially by keeping more money in the family’s pockets rather than handing it to the government in unnecessary taxes.

Mediation is a voluntary settlement process giving you the opportunity to control the decisions that will affect your future. It’s designed to help you resolve disputes — before, during, and even after divorce.

Of course it’s appropriate: if you didn’t have “real” or difficult problems, you wouldn’t need a mediator — you’d be able to solve them yourselves.

Some people (men and women) are better with numbers than others; if you’re “numerically impaired,” let your mediator know that you need him/her to explain the implications of the suggested settlement so that you can understand it. Also, you could retain the services of an accountant or financial planner to help you.

Again, some people are willing to sacrifice almost anything to avoid a fight. If this describes you, or if there was a significant power imbalance in your marriage, you need to let your mediator know so he/she can compensate for it.

Mediation usually ends up saving people money: the issues you can solve together don’t have to be negotiated by two lawyers or decided by a judge in court. Your mediator helps you create an agreement that’s in your family’s best interests, then each of your lawyers looks it over before either of you sign it. Your lawyer is there to look after your interests in the divorce; a mediator doesn’t represent either party.

It can easily cost more for the parties’ attorneys to go back and forth than for the parties and their attorneys to meet in mediation and solve the issues directly, even though the parties are paying for ½ of the mediators fees and for their own attorney.

ess for mediation to have a chance. If your spouse does not want to mediate it is usually because they do not understand what it is. You will not be as good at explaining how mediation works as a mediator will be. If your communication is strained with your spouse and you try to explain to them what mediation is and try to persuade them to mediate it is very likely that they will question your motive. If you feel that your spouse is not going to be amenable to mediation, then you might suggest to them that both of you set up a consultation with one of our mediators and then decide if 1) Mediation is right for you both, and 2) Which mediator you both are most comfortable with. It should also be noted that all parties must mediate at some point in the divorce/custody process. It is unlikely a judge will waive this statutory requirement.