Mediation

Indianapolis Divorce Mediators

BKR’s mediators will help you resolve your family’s issues in a sensible way – and at a reasonable cost in Indiana.

Family or divorce mediation is:

Far less expensive than litigation
Confidential and private
On your time schedule, not the court’s
Tailored to your family’s needs

Litigation over property, parental rights, and child support destroys families. The cost of court is high, both financially and emotionally, but you can decide to take control of your family’s future by participating in mediation instead.

At BKR Family Dispute Resolution in Indianapolis, our experienced and trained mediators help you create agreements that work for you and your family. Our mediators work with you to explore options, help you obtain the information you need to reach agreements, and keep you in control of your family’s future. As experienced family law litigators in Central Indiana, our family mediators know what it means to be placed at the mercy of the court system; let them assist you in avoiding the time, expense, and heartache that inevitably results from a trial.

If you have more questions about family or divorce mediation with BKR in Indianapolis, IN, call 317-571-3601

Mediation Preparation

Preparing to Mediate Financial Issues in Indiana

Well before mediation, you should gather documents that will be helpful to your divorce or family law attorney, and the family law mediator, in preparing the financial portion of your case. Be prepared to provide any of the following documents in your possession, as well as any other documents your divorce attorney may request, including:

Statements for all asset accounts (bank, retirement, investment, etc.) showing balances as of the date your case was first filed with the court, as well as current balances.
Statements for all debts (credit cards, mortgages, car loans, etc.) showing balances as of the date your case was first filed with the court, as well as current balances.
Any property appraisals you may have (real estate, jewelry, etc.). Be aware, however, that appraised values for purposes of divorce can differ greatly from appraised values for insurance purposes, or real estate assessed values. Depending on your case, you may need to obtain separate appraisals for purposes of your divorce.
Copies of your most recent tax returns and/or pay stubs if child support will be an issue in your case.
Copies of documents showing stock ownership, if that information is not reflected in an investment account statement.

Prior to mediation, you also should prepare yourself by looking at your financial needs, ideally by preparing a rough budget, so you can negotiate in an educated manner about issues such as spousal maintenance, child support, apportionment of children’s expenses, property settlement payouts, and the like.

These are just a few of the many issues that may arise during your mediation session. Consult your counsel for more details about your particular case.

Preparing to Mediate Child-Related Issues in Indiana

Aside from the specific parenting time schedule upon which you will agree, there are numerous parenting issues that may be appropriate to address in your mediated agreement. To ensure that you do not leave out any essential issues, make a list prior to mediation of the parenting issues you want to address. Some examples that may apply to you include:

How parenting time pickups and dropoffs will be handled
How holidays and extended school breaks will be divided
School-related issues (communication relating to homework, where kids will attend school, communication of school activities)
Participation in extra-curricular activities
Accommodating time spent with extended family
Religious upbringing
Sharing of clothing and personal belongings
Responsibility for expenses such as school books, school lunches, etc.

In your particular case, it may not make sense to address some of these specific issues in your written agreement. However, it always makes sense to raise issues about which you are concerned so that the family law mediator, counsel, and both parties can fully address and make decisions about anything that might arise.

Contact us today to schedule a family mediation session in Central Indiana!

The experienced family law mediators at Broyles Kight & Ricafort can help you create agreements that work for you and your family. As experienced family law litigators in Central Indiana, their family mediators can help you avoid the time, expense, and heartache that inevitably results from a trial. Please contact our Indianapolis offices at (317) 571-3601 to schedule your initial consultation with one of their trained mediators today! Their family and divorce mediators provide services to clients throughout Indiana, including but not limited to Marion County, Johnson County, Hamilton County, Boone County, Hendricks County; Madison County, and Wayne County.

Indiana Divorce Mediation FAQs

How does mediation work in a divorce?

Parties to a divorce can agree to mediate their case, but family courts can also order parties to participate in mediation. Regardless of whether you mediate by agreement or the court compels mediation, the process itself is the same. A neutral third party – the mediator – works with both spouses to help them reach an agreement on the issues they’re facing.

Is mediation a better choice than litigation to resolve child-related issues?

At mediation, we can carve out every little issue with a scalpel – reaching agreement on details that a court would never address. So if you want to end up with a court order you can truly live with, and that fully addresses the issues your family is facing, mediation is a much better option.

What makes a divorcing couple of ideal candidates for meditation?

Mediation allows the couple to maintain control over the important decisions to be made. Each party can decide what is most important to him or her. Through compromise, each spouse meets their most pressing need or interest.

How long does a typical divorce mediation process take?

In central Indiana, most divorce mediations are scheduled after the parties and the lawyers have exchanged a lot of information about the case and shortly before the case will go to trial. Both attorneys attend the mediation with their clients, and generally, the parties are in separate rooms with their respective lawyers. The mediator then travels between the two rooms, carrying offers and counter-offers and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each person’s case until an agreement is reached. These types of mediations typically take 8 to 10 hours and are completed in a day.

How many sessions are generally required to reach an agreement?

Some people elect to use a mediator from the beginning of their case rather than hiring individual attorneys. In these cases, the mediator often helps the parties prepare documents to be filed with the court and suggests the type of information they need to exchange to facilitate an agreement. Generally, these types of mediations take 8 to 10 hours spread out over 4 or 5 sessions.