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Our goal is to educate and provide you with favorable options so that you feel empowered to choose the best outcome.
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When it comes to divorce, amicability is our first step – when that doesn’t work, we are not afraid to throw on the gloves and fight for you.
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When you work with our firm you become a part of our family. You can rest assured that you have a fierce team of advocates backing you up.
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Mediation Lawyers in Hanover, MA Helping Clients Find Solutions
Mediation can be an invaluable tool for couples going through a divorce. It has many appealing qualities, such as the ability to maintain control over the outcomes vs. having a court decide what is best moving forward. Another appealing factor is that it can allow discussions to feel less formal, therefore keeping some of your most personal concerns out of a courtroom. In many cases, the cost of mediation is less than litigation, so coming to any agreement during mediation can save you time and money moving into the litigation phase of the divorce if it is still necessary to pursue. Mediation can also foster better communication between the parties, even in cases where a lack of communication was one of the determining factors in the decision to divorce in the first place. Relying on a trained, neutral third party to help guide you through the important issues regarding your divorce can help alleviate the stress that you may feel with so many details to consider. What happens with our children? What about alimony or child support? How do we split our assets? All of these are questions that mediation can help you to answer.
Contact O’Connor Family Law at (774) 315-4220 to find out more regarding your specific questions about meditation and whether or not it is the best option for you.
When Can Mediation Occur?
Mediation can be started during any phase of the divorce, before or after filing. If both parties feel they can resolve the issues through mediation, they can initiate the process before filing. If after a divorce has been filed, and one or both parties want to contest issues, mediation can be helpful. Contested divorces become uncontested if and when an agreement is reached between both parties and can help save time in the divorce proceedings.
What Does the Mediation Process Look Like?
There are five stages in the mediation process. The first is introductions. This step allows for the mediator to learn more about both parties involved, their communication styles, and their priorities. You will typically be asked to fill out a questionnaire helping to further explain your goals, what you are not able to agree on, and what your specific desires are for the outcomes. The mediator introduces themselves and their role in this process, as well as discusses the goals and rules involved during mediation. They will also have each party sign a mediation contract at this time, as well as a confidentiality agreement before moving forward.
Joint discussions then commence while the mediator addresses each of the goals or topics. They are trained to give each of the parties ample time to address their concerns and discuss what they feel the best solutions are for their family and why. The experience of the mediator comes in during this step of the process in many ways, namely due to them having handled several situations and having ideas about how to proceed that the couple may not have thought of before. The mediator may have suggestions as to how to handle alimony, for instance, and what needs to be agreed upon before the couple can proceed. Better communication is almost always achieved during mediation as opposed to trying to handle these emotionally charged topics without a neutral third party involved. There is someone trained to help “drive the bus,” for lack of a better term, keeping the priorities of both parties top of mind and allowing each of the parties to fully express their thoughts and concerns in a controlled environment while maintaining confidentiality.
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"Great work, I highly recommend this family law firm and wouldn’t want anyone else representing me in this tough time in my life!"
- Deborah H. -
"I am forever grateful for the team's incredible efforts to make my stepdaughter's dream of having "a normal life" with her dad come true."
- Lauren C. -
"They were always quick to respond... I felt they were very helpful in what I was seeking at that time."
- Melanie A. -
"With her desire to gain a deep understanding of my situation and level of expertise, we successfully obtained the outcome I needed to move on with my life."
- Tanya M.
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