Divorce by Mediation:

There are many different types of divorce mediators. Bruce is an experienced matrimonial and Family Law attorney. He attended Brooklyn Law School (Class of 1973). He also attended the prestigious National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) where practicing lawyers are taught the fine nuances of litigation. In addition, he has completed forty hours of mediation training which made him eligible to join the Academy of Family Mediators, now a part of the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Bruce is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association Family Court Law & Procedure and Matrimonial Law Committees, the Nassau County Family Court Law Guardian Panel, and the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Bruce brings all of his experience as an attorney to the mediation, but, as a mediation, he cannot and will not represent either party individually.

A LESS PAINFUL PATH

Divorce mediation is an active process in which a married couple, meeting with a divorce mediator, identifies and settles all the issues that need to be covered in their divorce. The result is a "Memorandum of Understanding" which can be presented to an attorney who will develop it into a formal separation agreement.

Your mediator will help you determine what it costs to live apart and, using that information together with the current income, help you determine the amount and duration of support. We will show you how the State Child Support Guidelines apply to your situation.

We will help you identify all of your marital assets, figure out their value, and help you divide them fairly.

We will help you make all of the future parenting decisions.

Mediation is conducted so that there should be no losers -- one spouse should not win at the expense of the other. Mediation lessens the hurt, the anger, and the frustration that usually accompany these negotiations.

Divorce by Mediation is a non-adversarial process helping people negotiate directly and dissolve marriages once the decision to divorce or separate is made. We provide you with the opportunity to negotiate mutually beneficial terms in total privacy.

Divorce by mediation helps identify key issues concerning the division of personal and real property, support, parenting, and plans for the future. It helps eliminate the painful win-lose atmosphere that is part of all adversarial divorces. The process is a mutual search for a reasonable solution; neither partner can win at the other's expense. Resolutions must emerge from the process with a settlement created and accepted by both. Mediation can also deal with specific limited issues such as times of access, what to do with the house, or other issues specified by you at the start.

Important aspects of DIVORCE BY MEDIATION:

• It is non-adversarial. You are partners in the decision-making.
  
• It is mutual. You both must agree on solutions, or there is no agreement.
  
• It helps clarify areas of conflict. Most couples have some conflict. The mediator helps you limit the conflict and discuss things productively.
  
• It gives you power. You control your own decision over your own lives.
  
• It is best for your children. All of the discussions are tempered by the fact that you are both parents of your children, and you will have a continuing relationship as parents after you have ended the spousal relationship. Most other forms of divorce negotiations forget the best interests of the children. In mediation it is always paramount. You owe it to yourself, your children, and your future to learn more about mediation.

COSTS AND FEES.

         Mediation can take as few as four to six hours or as many as twelve hours or more, depending on your needs. Mediation of specific issues or for couples without children is shorter. Fees are moderate and on an hourly basis. We charge no retainers. You pay only for the actual time yo use. We ask that you share in the fees in a way that is appropriate to your situation, remembering that the mediator is working for both of you.

HOW TO PROCEED

Call 516 742-8055, and arrange a mutually convenient appointment for you and your spouse to come in for a no obligation, free consultation. At that time, a detailed explanation of how we proceed will be described. Both of you receive the same information, and, therefore, each of you can rest assured that you will be on equal footing from the outset of the proceedings.

 ©1978, 1983, 1991, John M. Haynes, PhD
 ©1999, 2003, 2004, Bruce R. Bekritsky