“Conscious Uncoupling” and Other Not-So-Legal Terms in Divorce

credit: goop.com

photo credit: goop.com

If you follow celebrity news, you no doubt have heard about the “conscious uncoupling” between Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. If you are going through an “uncoupling” process yourself, you may be wondering what exactly it means to make it “conscious.” Since you are reading this blog, you may also be wondering how the concept of conscious uncoupling fits into the divorce mediation process. Read more

What To Expect in Divorce Mediation Sessions?

divorce mediation

Are you thinking of giving mediation a try, but you find yourself still wondering about the details? Perhaps you have read lots of information about how mediation can reduce conflict and costs in divorce, but you are still not quite sure what the experience will be like. What exactly goes on in a New Jersey private divorce mediation session? Read more

Is Our Divorce Too Complicated for Mediation?

Financial collapse

If you and your spouse are interested in resolving your divorce issues through mediation, but one or both of you believes that the complexity of your financial situation makes mediation an unlikely fit, you may want to rethink the possibility. While it is true that mediating a complicated case could be a lengthier and more detailed process than mediating a simple case, it is also true that litigating a complicated case generally takes more time and more attention to detail than litigating a simple case. This means that your costs are apt to be higher than normal if you go to court, but your savings from choosing mediation could also be greater than the average savings.

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Four Tips to Keep in Mind When Negotiating in Divorce Mediation

Couple meeting with divorce mediatorNegotiating with a soon-to-be-ex can be enormously challenging. You could be facing decisions that will have a long-term impact on many aspects of your life. Add to this the fact that divorcing spouses often share history that includes rough emotional terrain, and the whole idea can start to feel like too much to handle. If you need motivation to persevere, remember that unless you and your spouse can resolve your differences amicably, you will eventually find yourselves in front of a judge—letting a stranger make decisions for you that will not necessarily be any better than the decisions you could reach on your own with a bit of concerted effort.  Read more

How Divorce Mediation Can Help Your Children

How divorce mediation helps kids

Most divorcing parents are concerned about protecting their children from the negative effects of divorce. This raises an initial question: Is divorce always bad for children? Social researchers have found this question difficult to answer—partly because no two families going through divorce are alike—but the consensus seems to be that divorce is not always bad for children. If a divorce removes a child from a high-conflict environment, the child may actually fare better after the divorce. This is because high familial conflict affects children more negatively than divorce.

It isn’t hard to understand how a child might feel relief when a high-conflict household becomes more peaceful. But what if your family is not experiencing high conflict? Read more

Convincing Your Spouse To Give Mediation A Try

Convincing your spouse to try mediation

Perhaps you have decided that divorce mediation is the best way to go in your case, only to discover that your spouse is not open to the idea. What should your next move be? Before giving up on mediation, consider the reasons behind the hesitation. It’s possible that after receiving additional information and reassurances, your spouse will reconsider. The following are some common reasons a spouse might initially object to mediation in divorce, along with tips for how to address the objections: Read more

Preparing for Divorce Mediation in New Jersey

You’ve hired your mediator and the first appointment is set. The next step? Getting prepared. Your New Jersey family law mediator will request you bring specific financial and personal documents to your first divorce mediation session. Besides gathering this information, you can also take steps on your own to prepare. Here are three tips for how to feel organized and ready for this first meeting with your mediator. Read more

Choosing the Mediation Process

Weinberger Mediation Center is here because we believe that mediation offers a positive alternative for couples trying to find a friendlier, less stress-filled way to resolve their divorce or family law dispute. Court litigation can be helpful and necessary in some divorce and family law cases. However, for many couples in NJ, mediation provides a cost-effective way to quickly reach a settlement viewed as acceptable by both sides. Read more