Throughout the process, when you are considering issues you may know little about, you will be asked to speak with other outside experts like clergy, your older children, extended families, accountants, realtors and attorneys and gather information so that you can, in an informed way, create a plan to establish independent lives for yourselves.

• Process Overview
  
  Mediation formally begins after you have read, agreed to and signed the process commitments and consent forms.
  
  You will need to decide how you manage any fees associated with this process.
  
  We will all use the Divorce Mediation Issues List to focus these discussions. You might be making decisions in one area or completing the entire list. Generally folks will create a parenting plan for their children, create budgets including child support and maintenance, formerly called alimony, and decide how to divide your property and your debts.
  
  You will gather information to help you in your decision-making.
  
  Both of you will speak on the issues selected. We may sometimes meet with you or each other privately in a confidential setting.
  
  Together you will have an opportunity to develop a plan that satisfies your needs and that both of you can support.
  
  When we find areas of agreement, we will record your decisions in a Memorandum of Understanding.
  
  You will then take it to your attorneys to review your draft plan.
  
  When the plan (called a Memorandum of Understanding or M.O.U.) is acceptable to everyone it will be translated into court recognizable language by an attorney to be considered by the courts.
  
  Meeting Length:
  Unless otherwise arranged by everyone mediations are scheduled for two hours. Time can be extended if the spaced remains available and if the extension of meeting time is mutually agreed by all.