Constant disputes between couples can cause divorce, and divorce can cause family disputes regarding your rights as a parent. But there are things you and your ex can do to make the divorce process smoother for everyone. Not every divorce has to be filled with animosity. There is such a thing as an amicable divorce. For some couples, especially childless couples, it doesn’t need much effort to resolve various problems arising from a divorce. But in most divorces with children involved, emotions are just too raw to be able to reach fair solutions for parents and their children. Everyone could benefit from using the services of divorce lawyers to mediate on your behalf.
Matters such as parenting rights, child support, visitation rights, and grandparent visitations all need to be arranged in a way that causes the least disruption in people’s lives. Your best shot at doing that is to consult a divorce lawyer or get divorce mediation services.
How Mediation Services Work
If you have a chance to forgo the expenses of going to court and hearings during a divorce, be able to stay in control, and not do anything against your wishes, why wouldn’t you? Being in court and going to trial can be stressful and intimidating; things you don’t need in this already stressful time. A divorce case that goes to court leaves the decisions at the mercy of a judge. Whatever the judge decides, you’re bound by law to stick to the rulings, whether you like them or not.
During a family law mediation process, couples can meet up for a consultation, or meet with a consultant separately. Each partner will explain to the mediator what they want and what they expect, with confidence. Professional divorce and family law attorneys at https://btlfamilylaw.com/services/mediation/ say that in order to resolve issues and reach the best solutions for both parties, it’s more productive to consult with each party separately. This allows for freer conversations, and attorneys are bound by confidentiality to not relay the information shared with them to the other party, unless granted permission. Using the information of both parties, the consulting attorney will then begin to mediate the case to reach an agreement.
Opting for mediation is much cheaper than each party having their own lawyer. Besides financial costs, a family law mediator can help you reach decisions by suggesting different things that might not have occurred to the parties involved. It can also be the quickest way to move on with your life.
Here are the most common issues where mediation is needed:
Child Custody
It’s no secret that children always get stuck in the middle of a divorce. There are different types of custody. In sole legal custody, the child is within the custody of only one of the parents and that parent has the right to make all decisions for the child without consulting the other parent. Another type of custody is joint custody, where both parents have the right to make decisions on behalf of their child, regardless of who the child lives with.
Child Support
Also known as child maintenance, children under 16 need to be financially cared for by their parents. In most cases, both parents are obliged to pay for their children’s expenses. Even if you never married your partner, you’re expected to adhere to the law and pay the child support which are the costs involved in raising your kids.
Parenting Time
You might be more familiar with the term ‘visitation rights,’ which is being replaced with the term ‘parenting time’ since divorced parents are doing more than just visiting their children—they’re parenting them.
Not every parenting time plan works for everyone. Some parents prefer weekends, others choose weekdays. Others may work late shifts and need parenting time during the day. Given the many complications that come with work schedules, school time, after-school activities, and geographical locations, parenting time can get confusing without the help of professional mediation services that can iron out the issues to come up with a plan that accommodates everyone.
Grandparents
The bond that exists between grandparents and grandchildren is strong in many families, but a divorce can interfere with that. Grandparents don’t have an automatic right to see their grandchildren and be part of their upbringing. Mediation can play an important role in grandparents continuing to see their grandchildren instead of being blocked out due to a divorce.
It’s difficult, but not impossible to keep things smooth during times of immense change, especially for children. Instead of battling a divorce out in court, you owe it to yourself and your kids to choose mediation. A neutral voice is what you need to help you resolve the issues that divorce brings about.