Mediation is a process when at least two parties come together to negotiate their own outcome, and I serve as a neutral facilitator assisting them in communicating and negotiating while they work toward a mutual resolution.  The goal of mediation is to find an acceptable resolution that the parties create.  Mediation is particularly beneficial to families seeking resolution in the divorce process.  There are several benefits to mediating a divorce.  First, divorcing parties are more committed to an agreement they create.  The parties control the outcome and the content of the agreement.  Second, a mediated divorce is usually significantly cheaper, quicker, and more amicable than a litigated divorce.  Finally, the most beneficial aspect of mediation is that the process promotes a working/amicable relationship between the divorcing parties allowing the children to avoid the adversarial parental relationship and damage that divorce often creates.

Once issues have been agreed upon, an Agreement is submitted and adopted by the Court.

Mediation works effectively because the parties are positioned so that they can directly hear each other and one another’s concerns, and with the assistance of the mediator, the parties are able to accommodate each other’s concerns without necessarily compromising their own interests.

I have been a Court Approved Divorce and Family Mediator with the Family Court in Kane County since 2002.