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Mediation
A negotiation between two individuals, with the help of a neutral, trusted third party.
In family law mediation, separating spouses work with a trained, neutral third party known as a mediator to reach an agreement on some or all of their family law issues. The mediator’s role is to listen to both sides of the story and, without bias, help the two of you discern your true interests, communicate “communicate with each other and agree on a creative solution that will allow you to move forward. We work with several qualified, skilled mediators, and are able to recommend the right individual to work with you. One of Connect’s lawyers can be present with you, advising you throughout the mediation process.
Four of our family lawyers, Leisha Murphy, Geeta Gill, Mark Chiu and Raman Sehmbi, are also certified family mediators. To learn more about retaining Leisha, Geeta, Mark or Raman as a mediator, check out our mediation website.
Mediation offers many of the same advantages as collaborative family law: it is cheaper, less antagonistic, less formal, and more efficient than going to court. As well, it is a private process, unlike litigation which is public. It is voluntary and provides you and your separating spouse with the space to work together on creative solutions that might not even be possible in court. An additional advantage over a collaborative approach is that there is a third party with expertise in both family law and mediation whose job it is to keep the process on track and moving forward.
Mediation will be appropriate for many of the same people who are considering a collaborative law or negotiated approach. A history of family violence is not necessarily a bar to mediation if the proper safety precautions are taken; in appropriate circumstances, mediation can occur by the mediator “shuttling” between rooms.
Did you know?
Negotiation outside of court has an astonishingly high success rate
In British Columbia, 89% of said cases resulted in a full settlement or a partial settlement.
FAQs
In family law mediation, separating spouses work with a trained, neutral third party known as a mediator to reach an agreement on some or all of their family law issues. The mediator’s role is to listen to both sides of the story and, without bias, help the two of you discern your true interests, communicate with each other and creatively agree on a solution that will allow you to move forward. We work with several qualified, skilled mediators, and are able to recommend the right individual to work with you. One of Connect’s lawyers can be present with you, advising you throughout the mediation process.
Four of our family lawyers, Leisha Murphy, Geeta Gill, Mark Chiu and Raman Sehmbi are also certified family mediators. To learn more about retaining one of our mediators, click here or check out our mediation website.
When you jointly retain a mediator, the mediator acts as a neutral third party in assisting with communication and negotiation, and as a lawyer-mediator, they can draft a separation agreement, but they cannot give either of you legal advice. The mediator can provide legal information as you walk through each issue, but you would be encouraged to each obtain independent legal advice (from a list of recommended lawyers) prior to signing a final agreement.
When you and your spouse both individually retain a lawyer, you have the option of attending mediation with a mediator outside of our office. Your individual lawyer will guide you through the mediation process and provide you with legal advice throughout the mediation process.
Mediation offers many of the same advantages as collaborative family law: it is less expensive, and more efficient than going to court. As well, it is a private process, unlike court, which is public. It is voluntary and provides you and your separating spouse with the space to work together on creative solutions.
Other family law services
In our experience, we work best with clients who wish to de-escalate conflict and take a constructive approach to resolving their family law issues. Such a mindset can reduce the stress that often accompanies separation and divorce and will help preserve your health and well-being so that you can thrive post-divorce.
Connect with us
If you have questions about our process or family law in general, please feel free to refer to our FAQs or you can give us a call.