Divorce Mediation
Divorce mediation allows both parties to identify, negotiate and resolve the issues necessary to reach a fair and equitable resolution. The mediator provides a foundation of information, but does not provide express legal advice to either party. The mediator establishes firm ground rules while creating and maintaining a comfortable professional environment. A mediator often helps formulate more creative solutions than the parties may discover on their own.
For cases involving minor children, we frequently include an experienced mental health professional to assist the parents in finding a custody and parenting plan that best suits their post-divorce family - with a special emphasis on the child(ren)'s best interest(s).
For most, but not all cases, we include a neutral financial expert to prepare the required financial disclosures as well as to assist in valuing and detailing the marital estate. The valuation also includes, when relevant, tax considerations relative to the division of different types of assets.
Importantly, our team approach saves our clients money while providing them with guidance from professionals with specific education and experience tailored to the issues requiring resolution.
Contact us today to learn how our mediation team approach may be the right methodology for your family.
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Covering All Aspects of Divorce Mediation
Are you in need of professional legal help?
Don't hesitate to contact the Connecticut Divorce Mediation Team. We have helped many people in the same situations that you may be in. We take every individual circumstance very seriously and promise to contact you very quickly and at your convenience. We have offices in Hartford, New London, and Fairfield Counties as well as have the ability to schedule one on one consultations in our satellite offices.
Expertise, Advice, Compassion & Help
Legal
A family law divorce Mediator is a neutral third party specially trained to help couples with dispute resolution. In general, the Mediator can be a divorce lawyer, or not be a licensed attorney at all. A divorce Mediator should be fully trained in general and divorce Mediation. Each of the Mediators on our team are experienced, licensed attorneys and have been
Financial
A financial neutral is a financial expert who has significant experience dealing with the financial and tax implications of decisions made during a divorce. Financial neutrals have significant training in the divorce process and hold various professional designations. A financial neutral is impartial and is not an advocate for either party in a divorce.
Mental Health Considerations
Mental health professionals (MHP) perform several roles as part of the Mediation or Collaborative divorce team. Mental health professionals are neutrals. This means they work for the benefit and well-being of the entire team which allows for the best possible resolution. Mental health professionals are primarily used in the Collaborative process.
Mediation is one of the most frequently used methods of negotiating a divorce settlement. In divorce mediation, you and your spouse—or, in some cases, the two of you and your respective lawyers—hire a neutral third party, called a mediator, to meet with you in an effort to discuss and resolve the issues in your divorce.
― Nolo.com
Philosophy
The Connecticut Divorce MediationTeam is a team of skilled mediation attorneys, financial services professionals, and mental health experts. Our ultimate goal is to help you successfully transition to the next stage of your life by covering all components of mediation.
Why Us?
If you have any questions regarding our firm, we encourage you to give us a call. We will do everything possible to answer all of your questions to make sure we are the right fit for your case. We want what's best for you.
Built on a Foundation of Success
The most important criteria when searching for the right mediation team is to find a firm committed to a holistic approach and a track record of proven experience.
Years of Legal Experience
Financial PlanningExperience
Mental Health Practice
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Mediation
When it comes to issues surrounding; marriage, divorce, and mediation, we know there are many questions. We have created a list of some questions we received and have provided answers to them. We will continue to add on to the list as we receive questions we find beneficial.
The short answer is yes. Many litigation lawyers charge a retainer fee between $2,500 and $10,000 (for each spouse) for most average litigation cases and bill the client for services in addition to the time covered by the retainer. Once this initial retainer is exhausted, the attorney will charge a new retainer or invoice the client monthly. The retainer amount will be substantially more in complex cases, involving custody disputes or complex financial disputes.
How long a mediated divorce takes depends on the complexity of the issues and the ability of the individuals to be flexible as they negotiate a fair agreement. The average mediated divorce case takes approximately four to five sessions (1-2 hours each) spread out over 3 or 4 months. More complex cases can take up to 6 months to complete.
No case is too complicated to be settled using mediation. If your case is complex, we might engage outside experts such as; an accountant, appraiser, financial planner, or certified financial analyst to clarify issues and provide various options. Experienced family mediators have numerous skills, tools, and resources to help couples reach decisions. Couples who are committed to staying out of litigation and avoiding draining their joint savings will reach workable and equitable agreements. The role of a well-trained, mature, intelligent, professional mediator is to facilitate and guide spouses through the most painful and complex chapter of their life. If you reach an impasse, you did not fail. The mediator’s job is to reduce the fear, to educate, empower, and provide you with creative solutions to get through any impasses and help guide you beyond the finish line.
It is fairly rare to agree on all but one or two issues, but even if that is the case, mediation is seldom wasted. An agreement can be prepared on all settled issues, and the parties can either litigate the remaining issues or take further time to think about and come back to mediation. A well-trained neutral mediation lawyer will teach you about free “safety net options” existing within your jurisdiction that are available to help settle your case BEFORE you consider litigating your case.
No case is too complicated to be settled using mediation. If your case is complex, we might engage outside experts such as an accountant, appraiser, financial planner, or certified financial analyst to clarify issues and provide various options. Trained experienced family mediators to have numerous skills, tools, and resources to help couples reach decisions. Couples who are committed to staying out of litigation, and who want to avoid draining joint savings in needless legal welfare, will reach workable, equitable agreements. The role of a well-trained, mature, intelligent, professional mediator is to facilitate and guide spouses through the most painful and complex chapter of their life. If you reach an impasse, you do not fail. The mediator’s job is to reduce the fear, educate, empower, and provide you with creative solutions to get through the impasse and help guide you beyond the finish line.
Divorce mediation IS confidential. State law says that no one, not even the two parties, can use their negotiations as evidence in court should litigation be used in the future. When you meet with a divorce mediator, they will discuss the confidentiality rules applicable in Connecticut.
It is fairly rare to agree on all but one or two issues, but even if that is the case, mediation is seldom wasted. An agreement can be prepared on all settled issues, and the parties can either litigate the remaining issues or take further time to think about them and come back to mediation. A well-trained neutral attorney-mediator will teach you about free “safety net options” existing within your jurisdiction, available to help settle your case BEFORE you consider litigating your case.
While mediation is often recommended for couples who are amicable and can work well together, mediation may also work for some couples who are very emotional about the separation and don’t think they can negotiate face to face. A well-trained divorce mediation attorney is able to assist couples who have high emotions, but who still want to work things out peacefully. People calm down and become effective mediation participants when they see that the process can work without the high emotional and financial cost of litigation. The presence of a neutral third party, who allows time and space for each spouse to be heard, can be reassuring and calming.
Yes. Once a settlement agreement is signed by both spouses and subsequently entered as a court order at the final court hearing, the agreement reached in the process of mediation is enforceable.
No case is too complicated to be settled using mediation. If your case is complex, we might engage outside experts such as an accountant, appraiser, financial planner, or certified financial analyst to clarify issues and provide various options. Trained experienced family mediators have numerous skills, tools, and resources to help couples reach decisions. Couples who are committed to staying out of litigation, and who want to avoid draining joint savings in needless legal welfare, will reach workable, equitable agreements. The role of a well-trained, mature, intelligent, professional mediator is to facilitate and guide spouses through the most painful and complex chapter of their life. If you reach an impasse, you do not fail. The mediator’s job is to reduce the fear, educate, empower, and provide you with creative solutions to get through the impasse and help guide you beyond the finish line.
A mediator is a neutral party specially trained to help couples resolve the issues in their divorce. The mediator facilitates the communication between the parties by making sure each party is given an uninterrupted time to speak, asking a party to restate or explain a point when necessary, and asking questions to make communication clear. The mediator also provides information about the legal system, how issues may be viewed by lawyers or judges, and what alternatives there are for solving issues. When necessary, the mediator will refer the couple to third-party experts for services such as appraisals.
Simply put, you should consider mediation for your divorce because mediation saves time, emotions, and money. You and your spouse remain in control. Unlike a litigated divorce, you have control because you and your spouse make decisions about all aspects of your divorce.
The best mediation client is an informed and educated client. Because knowledge is golden, a good divorce mediator strongly encourages a mediation client to meet with an independent attorney to provide each spouse with independent legal advice and the knowledge necessary to make long-lasting, educated, informed decisions.
Some spouses may choose to meet with their reviewing attorney at the end of the mediation process so they can look over all the financial documents prepared in mediation and the draft separation agreement. Some spouses meet with a reviewing attorney only once, at the beginning of the process; others go to a reviewing attorney at the beginning and end of mediation, and others don’t go at all.
An independent reviewing attorney charges by the hour and the cost should not be more than one to two hours of his or her hourly rate.
If you use a mediator who is also an attorney, they can help you file all the court paperwork which can include: starting the dissolution of marriage action, preparing and filing the necessary financial disclosure agreement, and final papers to be presented with the court. A state marshal or sheriff does not need to be used to serve the divorce papers if a waiver of service is signed by the defendant in the presence of a divorce mediator who is also an attorney. In Connecticut, the divorce mediator attorney attends the final hearing and assists the couple at this appearance. The mediator will be the person who will canvas or cross-examine the spouses about the agreements reached rather than the Judge.
How long a mediated divorce takes depends on the complexity of the issues and the ability of the individuals to be flexible as they negotiate a fair agreement. The average mediated divorce case takes at least four to five sessions (2-3 hours each) spread out over 3 or 4 months. More complex cases can take up to 6 months to complete.
The cost of mediated divorce cases in Connecticut is directly associated with the complexity of each situation. Every family is unique, hence every separation is unique. In a typical case, parties can expect to pay a combined total (total for both spouses) of between $3,500.00 - $9,000.00 depending on the total number of sessions needed. Connecticut court filing fees are $350.00.
If your divorce requires the services of independent experts, they typically charge upfront retainers while others have a pay-as-you-go process. The cost of each spouse’s independent attorney for consulting and review of the mediated agreement is separate from fees charged by the divorce mediation attorney. However, the cost is usually minimal as most review counsel charges one or two hours of their time.