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What is Mediation Consulting?
Although mediation can prevent you from going to court, it doesn’t mean that you should not consult with an attorney. While mediation certainly simplifies the divorce process, you still need to understand your rights and ensure that the terms to which you are agreeing are helping you achieve your objectives. Otherwise, you could end up frustrated by the results. That’s where mediation consulting comes in.
A mediation consulting attorney will give you sound legal advice and support during your divorce. They will help you prepare for mediation sessions, guide discussions, and make sure the final agreement properly addresses your concerns and objectives.
Four Reasons to Work with a Mediation Consulting Attorney
- A consulting attorney will have your back. The mediator works for both you and your spouse and is committed to remaining neutral, which means they cannot provide individualized legal advice. On the other hand, your consulting attorney focuses solely on your needs, your goals, and your best interests.
- You can gain a sense of empowerment. When you have a ready source of legal advice available to you during the mediation process, you are better prepared and more confident in dealing with complicated issues or making important decisions in the mediation room.
- A consulting attorney can ensure you understand the impact.You will need to navigate a variety of issues during divorce, and a consulting attorney can explain the long-term implications of any proposals so that you can fully evaluate your options before reaching a decision and signing an agreement.
- You can avoid wasting time. You don’t want to spend several months negotiating an agreement only to have to start over because one party waits until late in the process to obtain legal advice and then starts questioning the terms he or she agreed to. This can exacerbate the frustration and other difficult emotions associated with your divorce. When you and your spouse work with mediation consulting attorneys from the start, the process can be much more efficient.
Couples often want to avoid attorneys because they think this will help reduce conflict and costs, when in fact, it is almost always the opposite. By working with an attorney experienced in mediation, you can prevent unnecessary conflict from arising and save money in the long run.
Protecting Your Rights
Despite its informal nature, mediation agreements will hold the same legal weight as decisions that come from a judge. An attorney experienced in mediation helps the negotiations move forward and will ensure that you have a thorough understanding of both what you are gaining and what you may be giving up.
If you cannot have a lawyer with you during a mediation session, it is wise to have an attorney review notes or memos from that meeting to stay up to date on the discussions and the progress that has been made. Additionally, your consulting attorney will always review and provide feedback on the terms of any agreements that have been drafted so that you can be confident about what you are signing.
Protecting Your Priorities
Before you can get what you want from the mediation process, you need to know your objectives and priorities. Your mediation consulting attorney will help you clarify what is most important to you and formulate a plan to achieve your desired outcome.
For instance, if you really want to keep the family home, a mediation consulting attorney can help you figure out the right bargaining tools so that you walk away from the process with that asset. If you own a business, your attorney can help devise a plan that will allow you either to take over the business or to exit with fair compensation for the contributions you made toward its growth. A mediation consulting attorney will also provide coaching on what to expect and how to handle different points of contention during mediation.
Choosing the Right Consulting Attorney
Legal representation can help you get the most out of the mediation process, but that’s only the case if you work with the right kind of attorney. You need a legal advocate who is “mediation friendly.” That means they not only believe in the benefits of mediation but also have a proven track record of helping their clients reach fair and equitable agreements through the mediation process.
Contact Vacca Family Law Group
Our Mediation Consulting attorneys put your rights and concerns at the forefront without the adversarial mindset that is often associated with legal disputes. Balancing advocacy and cooperation to find compromise solutions that satisfy both parties is not always easy. However, our strong ability to do so is what sets us apart from other attorneys.
At Vacca Family Law Group, we are dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals through mediation while helping them advocate for themselves during the process. For more information about how we can be your advocate and partner throughout the mediation process, contact us online or call 646-502-8591 to schedule your free introductory call.