Mediation: Why Mediation? Guest blogger mediator Virginia Crocker explains why she believes in mediation

I’m often asked “why mediation?”  This question can be phrased in different ways: why do you practice mediation?  Why would mediation work for me?  Why is mediation different than litigation?  Why is mediation better for my kids?  Why would I want to mediate my divorce when I’m so angry with my spouse?  Why do you, the mediator, think this is an important way to settle a family dispute?

Today I’ll approach the first why: why I practice mediation.  As this series of posts continue I’ll approach the other topics that make up the body of work of a mediation family law dispute, and the advantages mediation presents for different familial issues such as divorce, custody, and alimony and child support payments.  I’ll also take you behind the scenes of the process of a mediated divorce and a litigated divorce from start to finish—where your money is going and what all those billables truly mean.

I practice mediation in Boston because it worked for me.  While navigating the confusing and overwhelming process of splitting assets, ending a relationship, and trying to protect my future I found that an aggressive, contested divorce structure wasn’t going to work for me or my former spouse.  We were tired of fighting one another.  We didn’t want to drain our savings to fight about our savings.  Our financial issues, I felt, were personal, and should be treated as such.  Overall? We weren’t going to fit into someone else’s idea of what was best for us.

We chose to mediate our divorce, and it was the best decision we could have made.  With the help of an impartial mediator we calmly worked through what needed to be done and who would “get” what.  At the end of a rather short process we had a fully executed separation agreement that was fair, detailed, and was specifically written for us by our mediator.  The Probate and Family Court agreed that this division of assets was enforceable under applicable law and merged our separation agreement into a divorce judgment.

After our divorce was final I made another life-changing decision and enrolled in law school so that I could one day practice mediation.  I’m proud to say that I’ve worked on both contested and uncontested family law cases, and I’m fully confident that mediation is the best path for many.  My unique background in family law and my extensive certified mediation training mean that I can provide the most flexible, fair, and educated mediation services for you.

Why mediation?  Because mediation works.

Virginia Crocker is a Rule 8 certified divorce mediator in Massachusetts and found of  The Massachusetts Mediation Group. Virginia’s experience includes both divorce litigation and mediation. The Massachusetts Mediation Group provides affordable and flexible solutions for divorcing couples, families in need of parenting plans, custody issues, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and cohabitation disputes. Virginia can be reached at virginia@massmediationgroup.com.