In this article, our Will County family mediators explain the family mediation process in Illinois.  Family mediation is the use of a trained neutral third party to facilitate negotiations regarding regarding child custody, child support, maintenance, and asset division in divorce.  

We discuss the benefits of mediation.  Resolving issues early in the process through mediation can save both parties significant amounts of money that would otherwise be spent on litigation.  Parenting plans resolved through family mediation tend to be more comprehensive and better tailored to the needs of the parties than those decided by litigation. They are also less likely to be re-litigated after the court's order has been entered. 

Our Will County divorce mediators explain the role of the mediator, the attorneys, and neutral experienceds in the mediation process.  We discuss the rules regarding privileged and confidential discussions during the process as well as exceptions to these rules.  

We also describe the Will County family mediation process in detail including how to interview potential mediators, how to prepare for mediation with your attorney, the initial joint meeting with the mediator, individual caucuses between the mediators and each of the parties, and the mediator's drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the resolution of all issues in the case. 

Read the full article by our Will County divorce mediation lawyers explaining family mediation in Will County. 

In this article, our Will County family mediation lawyers explain the concepts of dissipation and contribution in Illinois divorce.  Dissipation occurs when one party improperly wastes marital assets for their own improper purposes.  Contribution occurs when one party uses their own non-marital assets for the benefit of the family.  Both dissipation and contribution are taken into account when dividing assets in a divorce mediation.

Read the full article by our Will County family mediation lawyers explaining dissipation and contribution in Illinois divorce.

In this article, our Will County family mediation attorneys explain other alternative dispute resolution methods: Collaborative Law Divorce and Cooperative Divorce. 

In both a Collaborative Law Divorce and a Cooperative Divorce, the parties to a divorce agree to negotiate issues surrounding their divorce outside of court and to freely exchange information.  Typically in both a Collaborative Law Divorce and Cooperative Divorce, the parties will negotiate directly through their attorneys without the assistance of a neutral third party mediator.  

A Collaborative Law Divorce differs from a Cooperative Divorce in that, in a Collaborative Law Divorce, the attorneys for both parties agree that they will withdraw from representation of their clients should negotiations fail and litigation become necessary.  This tends to make the negotiation process more likely to be successful, but it can create an additional expense of hiring new attorneys if the negotiation process is unsuccessful. 

Read the full article by our Will County child custody mediation lawyers regarding alternatives to mediation in divorce cases.