Divorce Mediation Blog

In a Sesame Street episode, Abby draws two pictures of her family homes; one picture of “where I live with my Mommy” and another of “where I live with my Daddy” “But Abby,” asks Elmo, “Why don’t you all live in one house together? “Because my parents are divorced,” answers Abby. Gordon then explains: “Divorced…

Be thoughtful about the Initial Conversation. Tell the child together. Be mindful about the time and place. Allow children to ask questions. Give permission for them to express their feelings, including anger and sadness. If you don’t know all the answers, assure them that you will work it out. It’s ok for a parent to…

View our latest infographic on the Court Process Timeline For Divorce: Step 1: Petitioner signs petition / other court documents and filed with the court. *mediation begins Step 2: Respondent signs acceptance / other court documents and filed with court. Step 3: Settlement agreement / other documents signed and submitted to court for approval. Step 4: Judge signs…

Going through a divorce is a trying and stressful time, even in the best and most amicable of circumstances. You are dealing with significant changes in lifestyle, financial changes, emotional stress, heartbreak, and if you have children, helping them cope with the change. Even if you feel ready for the change, and ready for divorce,…

Deciding to divorce is always a difficult decision.  Often, what is already an emotional and stressful situation is complicated even more because there are minor children involved.  Telling your children that you are getting divorced can be an incredibly difficult thing to do and many people do not even know where to start.  If you…

Marriages never start out with divorce in mind but, unfortunately, a large number of marriages often end in divorce.  Whether your communication was exemplary during your marriage or whether it was quite poor, it typically tends to suffer quite a bit during the divorce process.  With emotions running high, heartbreak, stress, anger, disappointment and frustration,…

Division or transfer of all or a part of a defined contribution or defined benefit plan is a common occurrence during divorce or legal separation. Here are some of the basic questions we are frequently asked and our answers about QDROs.  What is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order? A QDRO is court Order in a…

Divorce impacts children of all ages, from infancy to adulthood. Adult children are faced with unique challenges during divorce in comparison to younger children, and these challenges should not be ignored or minimized simply because they are adults. Today, as divorce rates amongst adults 50 and older remain at an all-time high, more and more…

In a previous blog, I addressed the importance of recognizing and identifying signs of domestic violence both during a pre-screening process, as well as continuing throughout the mediation process itself. If a mediator does identify signs of domestic violence in a case at any point before or during mediation, what is the correct way to…