Some mediation cases present issues that could benefit from the input of a third-party professional with specialized knowledge. Based on the individual facts of a particular mediation case, the mediator and the parties may consider including other third-party professionals in the mediation process to help the parties gain knowledge to assist them in reaching an agreement. These third-party professionals serve as a further resource to the parties and may include, for example, a certified divorce planner to assist with financial matters and a mental health professional with child development experience to assist with custodial issues.
A third-party professionals’ participation may be more in depth, such as a financial neutral’s work with the parties to create budgets as the parties move from one household to two households. Other third-party professionals may undertake a specific task to provide information to the parties, such as a neutral appraiser to provide the value of a marital home. Like the mediator, the third-party professionals must ensure that they operate with neutrality. Often these third-party professionals have been trained in mediation to fully understand the importance of transparency and the mediation process. Our website includes the names of these professionals.
The mediator should discuss with the parties whether including other third-party professionals is the right choice for their particular case, payment for the third-party professionals, defining the role of the third-party professional, specifying the tasks the third-party professional will undertake, and how the mediator will communicate with the third-party professional, with or without the parties.