Pre-marital, Prenuptial, Post-Nuptial, and Post-Divorce Mediation
Pre-Marital Mediation – My research and work with couples has shown me that most conflicts in marriages are due to differences in expectations for the relationship or for such things as money, children, and career goals. Years ago, young couples would sit down with a family minister, priest, rabbi or other trusted mentor or elder to discuss these important issues before entering into a lifelong partnership. The benefit of these discussions came from airing their feelings, beliefs and values openly before the marriage to ensure that both parties were on the same page. During Pre-Marital Mediation, couples will meet with me along with a couple’s counselor trained in marriage coaching. The intention is to hold two to three sessions with you in a positive, encouraging, judgment-free setting where we discuss critical issues such as how save and budget for the future; how you’ll navigate your respective careers; and whether you share the same vision about whether or not to start a family.
Prenuptial Mediation – If you and your partner intend to tie the knot, there may be circumstances under which you will want to enter into a Prenuptial Agreement before your marriage. For example, if one or both of you has substantial pre-marital assets; or if either of you anticipates inheriting family money that you want to keep separate from marital property; or if one or both of you has a business that you wish to protect, a prenuptial agreement can describe your pre-marital assets as well as discuss how these assets will be handled if the marriage ends.
You and you partner can enter into mediation together to negotiate the terms of your prenuptial agreement, or you can retain separate attorneys and negotiate the agreement collaboratively. As a Collaborative Lawyer, I can work with one party while the other retains counsel separately. Together, the four of us will work towards understanding your assets and negotiating a fair and equitable agreement.
Post-Nuptial Mediation– Some couples marry and decide after the fact that there are assets or debts that should have been held separate from the marital estate. Under these circumstances, you may work together in mediation or you may work collaboratively to negotiate the terms of an agreement that define your individual and joint assets and how they will be shared or divided if the marriage should dissolve.
Post-Divorce Mediation – After your mediation concludes successfully, whether you proceed to the next stage – divorce – there is always a chance that you and your former partner will want to amend the terms of your agreement due to changed circumstances. For example, you may wish to amend your parenting schedule when your children grow up and their needs begin to change. Or, your financial circumstances change and you and your former partner must recalculate the terms of your maintenance or child support provisions.