Customizable Agreements: Divorce vs. Separation Agreements
Here at Family Circle Mediation we offer numerous family mediation options. The best way to know which option is best for you is to set up a consultation where we can discuss your situation in detail. However, this month we are going to explore divorce and separation options more in depth so that you can understand just how unique you can make your agreements. Family Circle aims at helping your family grow stronger through this difficult time by giving you the choice of design.
Firstly, I often get the question: “what is the difference between divorce mediation and separation mediation?”
Divorce mediation discusses all the terms of your eventual divorce. Since this agreement covers all the subjects (and more) required in a divorce judgment, you two will be able to file this agreement with the courts before or during your divorce proceedings. Confusion often arises because divorce mediation results in a separation agreement, as that is the term used by the courts to establish a legal separation.
Separation mediation is used in two scenarios:
(1) you are not married but are separating and would like to create an agreement to determine separation of finances, property, and/or child arrangements;
(2) you two are not ready to decide on some subjects yet so would like to create a temporary separation agreement. For instance, we can discuss all financial divisions but not parenting plans or vice versa, or include co-habitation section if you two are not physically separating yet. Thus, you are only mediating what you need now during this phase of your separation and can come back to mediation when/if you two would like to finalize the agreement. This ultimately can reduce the stress of mediation and allow families to take the separation at their own pace. We can discuss any arrangement that your family requires.
These agreements can be specialized to exactly what your family needs and when you need it. While the court does have some requirements, we can discuss these requirements with your family’s needs in focus and add what you want in the agreement.
Click the button below to go to our services page, which outlines in further detail the mediation options we provide, or click contact us to set up a free consultation.
