The mediator establishes a safe, supportive and confidential forum for direct discussion—even in high-conflict situations. Trained to facilitate a dialogue between spouses and partners, as well as other family members, the mediator helps you crystallize the elements of your conflict and develop a shared understanding of each of your needs and concerns.

With the mediator’s guidance, you are able to work out a mutually satisfactory agreement that addresses each person’s interests and priorities, including those of any children. Strictly impartial and fully engaged, the mediator provides information about options and alternatives, but you make all of the decisions. An important duty of the mediator is to ensure that the process, and any agreements that may be reached, are fair to all concerned. At the conclusion, the mediator typically records all of your decisions in a memorandum of Understanding or Settlement Agreement.

Mediation is a voluntary process, so that you may decide to discontinue the mediation at any point in the event you feel that it's not working for you. Mediators don't generally ask for a retainer; rather, they work on a pay-as-you-go basis.