In this article, our DuPage County family mediators explain the mediation process in Illinois.

Family mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process whereby the parties cooperate to reach an agreement regarding child custody, child support, spousal maintenance, and division of marital assets with the assistance of a neutral third party mediator who is responsible for assisting the parties in defining the issues, facilitating communication, and working with the parties to negotiate mutually agreeable solutions. 

Our DuPage divorce mediators explain the situations in which mediation is mandatory in Illinois and the role of the mediator, attorneys, and experts in the mediation process. We explain the privileged and confidential nature of the mediation process as well as the exceptions to confidentiality.

Our family mediation attorneys also describe the potential benefits of family mediation as well as circumstances in which family mediation may not be appropriate.We explain what to discuss with a potential family mediator before deciding whether to retain him or her and how to prepare for mediation with your family mediation attorney. 

Read the full article by our DuPage County divorce mediators explaining the family mediation process in Illinois. 

In this article, our DuPage County family law attorneys discuss dissipation and contributions.

The way these terms are interpreted is extremely important when viewed as contributions to the household and what they could mean in terms of negotiation in either division of assets, or spousal maintenance. These are both terms used to reference things that were gained using either nonmarital, or nonmarital money, but the key difference between the two concepts is how the money is spent.

Read the full article by our DuPage County family mediation lawyers explaining dissipation and contributions.

In this article, our DuPage County mediation lawyers explain some additional alternative dispute resolution methods as alternatives to mediation: Collaborative Law Divorce and Cooperative Divorce. 

In a Collaborative Divorce, the parties agree to attempt to resolve issues outside of court, typically without a neutral third party mediator. Both parties' attorneys agree to withdraw representation from their clients should negotiations break down and litigation becomes necessary.

In a Cooperative Divorce, as in a Collaborative Divorce, the parties agree to attempt to resolve issues out of court. However, the parties' attorneys can continue to represent them in post-negotiation litigation.

Although both Collaborative Divorces and Cooperative Divorces typically begin without the assistance of a mediator, however, a mediator may be retained later in the process before resorting to litigation if the parties and their attorneys think that mediation may be beneficial.

In our article, our DuPage County mediation lawyers explain the pros and cons of Collaborative Law Divorce and Cooperative Divorce with respect to each other and to traditional divorce. 

Read the full article by our DuPage County mediation lawyers about Collaborative Law Divorce and Cooperative Divorce as alternatives to mediation.