Is Mediation a Good Fit for You?

We love mediation around here. We have seen it resolve conflicts quickly and easily. We have seen our clients save a lot of money compared to the traditional litigation route. We have even seen parents drawn closer together so that they can have a great co-parenting relationship after mediation. But despite all that, there are some situations for which we just can’t recommend mediation.

First, let’s talk about when mediation might be a good fit for you and your situation:

·        You and the other parent sincerely want what is best for your kids.

·        You may be angry and hurt by the other parent, but your long-term goal is to get along for the sake of the kids (and yourself).

·        Both of you are seeing the kids at least some of the time now.

Now let’s talk about when mediation might be a bad fit for you:

·        The other parent seems determined to ruin your life, even if it hurts the kids in the process.

·        The other parent is withholding the child from you and you have not seen your child for a period of time.

·        You can’t trust the other parent not to lie, cheat and play dirty.

In situations like these, it is often wise to start with court intervention. You may need the court to make an emergency or temporary order to help put some ground rules in place. You may still attend court-ordered mediation at some point for up to four hours to resolve issues relating to the children. If the situation changes, you may want to try mediation for property issues as well, but you want to be sure that you have some level of trust in the other parent at that point.



We believe that mediation is a great option to resolve an entire divorce or parenting time case in most situations, but not every situation. If you have questions about whether your case is a good fit for mediation, please call our office and we will be happy to discuss it with you.