Information to Provide to Your Divorce Mediator in Chicago

Parties who are looking to end their marriage in an amicable fashion and to avoid costly litigation often turn to a divorce mediator in Chicago.  A mediator is an objective third party who helps guide discussions and facilitates communication between the parties with the ultimate objective being to reach a settlement in the case.  A divorce mediator in Chicago does not represent either party and will articulate this to the parties.  In order to reach a fair resolution of the issues in the marriage, the mediator may ask for the following information before or during the mediation session:

Financial Information

Many individuals use a divorce mediator to help determine a fair division of their property.  Additionally, financial information may be used as a basis for determining the amount of spousal support or child support that should be paid.  To accomplish this, your mediator will need a wealth of financial information, including:

• Documents of any real property owned, deeds and an appraised value of the property
• Documentation of current balances held in financial accounts, including retirement accounts, stocks, checking accounts, money market accounts and other investment accounts
• Information pertaining to any business interests owned
• Inventory of other assets, including whether they are separate property or they are marital property and the approximate value of each item

Interests

Mediators want to know the interests of each party.  These are what matters to each party, such as being able to be self-sufficient financially or having parenting time with the children.  Parties may be asked to identify their interests (in a mediation brief submitted?) before the mediation session or during the mediation session itself, either in a group setting or individually with the mediator.  By articulating interests ahead of time, they can see where the interests of both parties align and focus on those during the mediation session.

Triggers

Mediators also want to know what types of actions trigger a negative response in the other party so that they can avoid them.  If the parties identify hot button topics, they will be better able to handle the clients as they come up during the mediation meeting.