Nobody fights like family.
That may be truer in family court than anywhere else. Disagreements over what is right for your kids or what is fair in a divorce can be intensified by the stress of working through the practices, procedures, and rules built into court.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Mediation offers an alternative path, almost always taking less time than court and giving the parties control over how they find a workable solution for their family. Here are a few ways mediation may help you find the support, agency, and peace that you need to move forward with confidence.
A Streamlined and Efficient Process
Contentious divorces or child custody battles may take months— often more than a year —to resolve in court. If you choose a form of mediation, though, you might well craft a solution in a matter of weeks. Of course, for mediation to work as intended, the participating parties must come to the table with a willingness to work together toward a common goal. That doesn’t mean you can’t disagree. It just means you should try not to lock yourself into your position for the sake of winning an argument. If the parties bring even a slightly collaborative mindset to the mediation table, a mediator can frequently help them through a productive process, and many family law disputes can find resolution in one or two sessions.
Mediation Empowers All Parties to Shape the Outcome
One of the key advantages of mediation is that the disputing parties have the opportunity to share their perspectives, concerns, and goals openly and honestly — without the rules that control how stories and fears, and hopes are shared in the courtroom. The mediator serves as a neutral moderator who facilitates collaborative discussions between the parties, encouraging them to listen to one another, identify the things that matter most to them, and negotiate an outcome that honors both parties’ fundamental interests. Divorcing couples who have used mediation often report feeling more satisfied with and empowered by this process, as they can walk away from their marriages feeling a sense of control over their futures.
Establishing Lasting and Satisfying Solutions for Minneapolis Families
Litigating against your loved ones — even they are former loved ones — can do lasting damage to these relationships. Dragging out the fight over custody or parenting schedules keeps you angry at each other, and you’re fooling yourself if you think your kids aren’t affected by that. On the flip side, kids also notice when their parents find ways to work through their disagreements. The result? Neither parent may get everything they want out of a mediated agreement, but they prove to themselves and their kids they can at least get along. An agreement everyone had a hand in crafting is an agreement people are more satisfied following — reducing conflict and stress for you and your kids. For that reason, agreements reached through mediation typically last longer than “solutions” imposed by a court order. Because judges can never know you and your kids as well as you do, and because courts have limited options set by the family law statutes, mediation participants are likely to find an agreement they craft for their family to be more satisfying than a cookie-cutter court order.
While mediation may not work for every family law dispute, it certainly offers a promising opportunity for many families to achieve a lasting and effective outcome. For more information about how mediation can help you resolve a family law dispute in Minneapolis or St. Paul, get in touch with the dedicated legal team at Rubric Legal LLC today by calling (612) 465-0074.