Mediation offers privacy, sensible cost and much more control over the outcome and speed of your divorce and family legal issues than the court-litigated approach provides. Mediation also provides a safer environment to voice your needs and concerns when the lines of communication between the parties tend to be strained or non-existent.

So much is at stake in divorce and family legal matters that it pays to make sure that you get it right when trying to work out these kinds of problems. Mediation and collaborative methods are often your best choice to meet these needs.


DIVORCE

The legal & the emotional. Family therapists will readily tell you that there are two components to every divorce: (1) the legal and (2) the emotional - and it’s the emotional aspects that often derail or slow the progress of the legal elements of the divorce.

Impact on the Kids and the Community. The couple’s break up impacts the lives of many people around them: their children (and grandchildren), extended family members, friends, neighbors, as well as colleagues and associates at work, school, church and other activities. In calmer times, most people who are going through a divorce want to get it done, with as little harm as possible. Despite these good intentions, divorce professionals can attest that most divorces trigger emotions that make it difficult to always behave consistently with these aspirations.

Mediation is better tailored to meet your needs. Mediation is usually much better situated and equipped to deal with both the emotional and legal aspects of a divorce than the Court’s are. Mediation also offers considerably more attention to crafting a well-tailored settlement agreement than the litigation model typically does.

See DivorceWhisperer.com & ShoeLawfirm.com for more information.


OTHER FAMILY LEGAL MATTERS

Child Custody & Timeshare. Mediation is a simple, cost effective way to deal with your custody and timeshare concerns. Whether problems arise after the divorce is complete or the children are born to an unmarried couple, parents often need assistance in working problems and snags that may arise. Mediation is a fast, direct path to resolve these kinds of concerns.

Child & Spousal Support. Financial issues tend to create other problems. Emotional pitfalls and practical concerns abound for both parents/spouses. Taking care of these issues often resolves other issues. It usually takes weeks if not months to even get in front of a judge or hearing officer on such issues. Mediation is your fast-track way to get this issue behind you.

Blended Families. A large percentage of our population is divorced and remarried. The literature is thick on challenges facing many blended families as many adults assist in the co-parenting of children, step children and grandchildren. It is not uncommon for parents to encounter challenges with schedules, difficulty with a child’s stage of development, and getting beyond the different styles of parenting and communication. Mediation is an excellent way to voice these concerns and find solutions and new ways communicating that support the new directions of the child’s families.

Grandparent Rights. Grandparents often step in to help with the raising of grandchildren, only later, to find themselves shut for some reason or another. New Mexico has a fairly limited body of to help families, and especially involved grandparents work out issues so that the child/grandchild’s best interests are preserved. Mediation stands as an excellent way to address the concerns of all involved and to fashion a plan that really works.

Domestic Partnerships. More and more couples choose not to marry, regardless of orientation, but do not have the same legal protections that married couples do. The same financial and emotional issues are present as with divorces. Likewise, mediation is very likely the best option for meeting the needs of all involved in partnership break ups.


EXPERTS

Many divorce and family legal matters can benefit from the advice and involvement of experts, whether CPAs, or child specialists, financial advisors or communication counselors, trained experts of all kinds can be either used for consultation purposes or to co-mediate the issues for a well-collaborated cases. Such experts often maximize financial and emotions benefits and reduce present and future costs. Accord mediation also welcomes the participation of lawyers who the disputants may have hired for consultation or representation.

One specific approach has emerged known as Collaborative Practice. For more information about this alternative, see IACP, NMCPG, and ACPG.