How Does Divorce Mediation Work?

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that you can use to negotiate your divorce settlement or child custody dispute outside of court. The mediation process involves both parties, their lawyers, and a mediator sitting down to discuss the divorce matters. A mediator is a neutral party who can offer a different, unbiased perspective. Mediators are not present to provide legal advice but rather to engage in risk assessment for both parties. More specifically, mediators facilitate the decision-making process for whether the parties should surrender a disputed issue to a judge in a court of law or find a compromise that allows both parties to retain control of the outcome. Typically, mediation is part of the litigation process. In most courts, the parties must try to settle disputes through mediation before they move to trial.