Family Law Insights

5 Steps of Divorce Mediation | Atlanta Divorce Practice

Posted on: March 24th, 2015

Atlanta Divorce Mediation

In our Atlanta divorce practice, we sometimes have clients who are not able, for a variety of reasons, to come to an agreement on one or more terms of their divorce. When this happens, we can arrange for our clients to try to resolve their disputes through divorce mediation. The two biggest reasons we recommend mediation as a tool is to save money and because anything can happen in a courtroom. If a couple can’t resolve their differences and end up asking a judge to decide, they may not like the terms of the divorce that a judge will set for them.

mediation

The mediation process is often misunderstood. People sometimes don’t realize that it can be a good, cost-effective way for a couple to come to a settlement agreement.

The process is fairly simple:

  1. The couple meets at the mediator’s office and each person is seated in a separate room with their own lawyer.
  2. The mediator, a trained listener, will usually have a brief meeting with the attorneys to get an overview of each side.
  3. He/she then meets with and listens to both parties individually to identify the areas of agreement and disagreement.
  4. He/she will impartially go back and forth to act as a negotiator, often keeping the important issues at the forefront and filtering out the emotions. He/she will try to keep things moving forward in a positive direction so that each party can see that progress is being made.
  5. Any areas of agreement that can be worked out are written up and signed off on by both parties. Sometimes, people leave with a partial agreement and go before a judge to hear and decide on only one or two issues.

Speaking with a client about her recent mediation experience, she described it this way:

My ex-husband can be very intimidating and had been bullying me each time we had to see each other. Mediation took the pressure off of me because I didn’t have to sit face-to-face with him and feel afraid. I had an amazing mediator with a great personality who took the time to really listen to what I needed and why. He asked many questions and was able to calmly reason with my ex-husband. The mediator got him to see the facts of the case outside of the anger he was feeling towards me because I wanted to leave the marriage. Our mediator helped us both understand the reality of what a judge could or would say to us if we were to go to court. As a result, we were able to evaluate our risk and came up with a settlement that we could both live with.

Mediation does have pros and cons, as Joyce Kitchens explains in this video. But because a mediator works for both people, unlike a lawyer who only works for their client, both parties know that they have a person who is trying to work with them to help them. For this reason, mediation usually has a very high success rate and is a tool that we endorse when our clients are not able to come to a resolution.

 

Testimonials
I have used Kitchens New Cleghorn twice. I have never been happier with any service than I was with theirs. Both times, I braced for the worst possible outcome and both times, I got far more than I could have expected. The staff is professional, friendly and quite competent. Thei… Read more
FAMILY LAW ATTORNEYS John DiNatale, Divorce Lawyer in Atlanta
John Dinatale Atlanta Lawyer John DiNatale joined Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC as Of Counsel in January 2018. His practice focuses on family law with expertise in Fulton County divorce, child support, child custody, modifications, contem…
LEGAL INSIGHTS
Legally Changing Your Gender on a Georgia Birth Certificate Despite its conservative reputation, Georgia has a liberal policy for changing one’s gender marker on birth certificates and other vital records. According to section § 31-10-23(e), a person’s gender marker…
Changing Your Name & Gender Marker on Driver’s License in Georgia LGBT Sex Change Lawyer If you’re interested in having your Georgia driver’s license or state ID changed to better reflect how you identify, the state allows you to modify both your name (Official Georgia…
Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC Review :

Thank you Jon and all of KNC for standing by me during these unpleasant times. Your knowledge, experience and advice was exactly what I needed. I will not hesitate to call on you again.
Atlanta Divorce Attorney

Reviewed on
Rating :
Shannon H
Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC Review :

Whether your legal matters are simple or complex, Jeff Cleghorn and Randy New can work for you, quickly, efficiently and thoroughly. They and their colleagues are experienced, knowledgeable individuals of high moral standards. That’s what we need when we look for legal help.

Reviewed on
Rating :
Kudzu
Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC Review :

With a team of law professionals that is almost unsurpassed, Kitchens New Cleghorn is your top choice. Joyce Kitchens, Randy New and Jeff Cleghorn fight for their clients.

Reviewed on
Rating :
GA Voice

AS SEEN ON:

CNN NPR AJC FOX ALIVE DAILY REPORT

FOLLOW US: