Long Island Divorce Mediation Attorney

Wisselman, Harouian, & Associates offers clients mediation and divorce settlement services as alternatives to litigated divorce or family law proceedings. These options offer parties way of resolving their separation and divorce, and are likely to save time and expenses.

Mediation

Mediation has the best chance of success when both parties get along with each other and are interested in forming an amicable legal separation and divorce agreement. This type of arrangement is best suited to couple that have the best interest of each other in mind and have a clear understanding about resolving the issues of their divorce. If both parties are in agreement and have a desire to settle amicably, a neutral third party, the mediator, helps divorcing spouses try to communicate and negotiate but doesn't make any decisions for them. A family law mediator can be engaged to create an agreement that addresses issues such as property distribution, support, and custody, but without the expenses of providing legal advice and time spent on dispute resolutions.

In these situations, attorneys serve as mediators, as is the case as Wisselman, Harounian & Associates. Our attorneys have handled thousands of family law cases. The wealth of experience provides us the knowledge and wisdom to mediate in the best interest of both parties. After listening to each party’s wants and needs, our attorneys will draft a divorce settlement designed to satisfy both sides. Again, this requires both parties to have similar goals of the settlement.

Is Divorce Mediation Right for You?

Certain conditions are necessary for a successful divorce mediation process:

• It is important that both parties make a commitment to give their full efforts to negotiate out of court with the assistance of a mediation attorney. The mediator can help both parties work their difference and help them see the bigger picture.
• For this to be successful, parties, must be able to freely express and communicate their needs and expectations.
• Regrettably, in some cases, mediation is simply not possible. These include cases where there is abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, drug and alcohol issues, hidden assets or income, paternity issues, a family pr party-owned business, or disputed separate property issues. It is also a challenge to settle as case when one party has completely unrealistic demands, anger, or a vindictive streak that gets in the way of negotiations.

When mediation is not possible, a divorce settlement is another viable option, where the goal of parties is to reach a divorce settlement with the assistance of attorneys, and making all attempts to avoid time consuming and costly litigation in court.

Divorce Settlement

For those who are interested in working on the reaching an amicable divorce resolutions of all financial and divorce-related issues, an attorney-assisted divorce settlement can be an affordable and reasonable divorce process.

• This process requires a commitment by both parties to give their full efforts to negotiate an out of court settlement with the assistance of their attorneys. Litigation should never be an initial strategy, but a last resort. Grounds for divorce should be agreed to from the outset.
• Parties should devote their efforts to reaching a custody and visitation agreement which provides the least disruption to the children. Joint custody and joint parenting should be explored. With many households having two working parents, shared parenting is often in the best interest of the children, and attorneys can help their clients create a customized schedule to meet the needs of the whole family.
• As to financial issues, it is extremely important for parties to be realistic about their expectations, and to follow the advice of their attorneys. This includes being up front about assets and income, and producing necessary documentation in a timely matter.
• It is important to realize that many issues related to the children, including support and visitation are not “written in stone”, but may in fact be modified in Court after the divorce is settled, based upon a change of circumstances. An experienced attorney can guide you on these issues.

It is important to consult with an attorney to determine whether mediation or a divorce settlement is appropriate for your situation. At Wisselman, Harouanian & Associates, P.C., our trained and experienced attorneys can assists you analyzing the specific issues of your matter, and help you create the most effective approach to settle the terms of your divorce. Our firm is always focused on arriving at a settlement that best suits the needs of your entire family.

For more information about mediation and divorce settlements, please don’t hesitate to contact a Long Island divorce lawyer at (800) 483-1723.