Can a mediator help me modify my divorce agreement?

 Posted on February 02, 2018 in Divorce Mediation

Divorce is, by all accounts, an emotionally challenging and fraught time. Because many couples going through divorce are under exceptional stress, especially on an emotional level, it can often happen that decisions made in the heat of the divorce are later viewed as unsatisfactory.

If you have a divorce agreement that no longer suits your current needs or your current situation, you may be looking at how you can modify that agreement. In certain cases, you may be able to get help from a mediator in order to accomplish this. Here is some more information that can help you better understand your options.

The benefits of a mediator

People typically seek the assistance of a divorce mediator at the time they are actually going through their separation and divorce. Mediators can help couples avoid long and costly court battles, while also helping them to maintain control over the decision-making process rather than delegating that to a judge. Mediation can also have a positive effect on children, as it lowers the conflict level and allows couples to seek shared solutions to parenting concerns.

These typical benefits that come from mediation do not stop only at the time of your divorce, however. Just as a mediator can assist a couple going through the initial decision-making process surrounding divorce, a mediator can also help you come to new agreements if you and your former spouse decide you wish to modify an agreement you have already signed.

Common questions about mediation

Because mediation is not necessarily the traditional method of proceeding in a divorce, it can leave people with many questions about how it works. For example, people may wonder how binding an agreement reached in mediation actually is. The mediation process helps couples come to agreements, but until the paperwork is actually filed in the court system, the agreement is not binding. That is why it is important for you to understand that the mediation process is just one step in an overall process that ultimately requires court validation. However, the mediation process can help you to avoid the courtroom battles because you take the agreement reached in mediation to simply have it registered legally, rather than fight out the particulars before a judge.

If you need to modify your divorce agreement, it may be helpful for you to seek the advice of a professional mediator. A mediator can help you understand your options and assist you in reaching agreements that aim for collaborative solutions.