Divorce Mediation in Denver CO

If you are starting the process of a divorce in Denver, Colorado, you may be directed to do what is called “Divorce Mediation”. Because Denver courts are overburdened with family law disputes, they routinely require parties to do divorce mediation before the court will hold a hearing regarding their dispute.  Further, many orders or agreements reached in family law also have provisions requiring the parties to mediate their dispute before they seek assistance from the court.  Disputes could involve child custody or support, division of property in the divorce, an award of maintenance, or any other aspect of a typical family law case.

Divorce Mediation can be an effective way for parties to resolve family law disputes.  The parties will select a trained mediator, who may be a lawyer or could be someone from a different discipline such as a mental health professional.  Rather than making decisions for the parties, the mediator guides the parties to come to agreements on their own.  The mediator does not make decisions for the parties and does not represent the parties in any manner.  Rather, the mediator is a neutral person whose job is to assist parties in making the important decisions facing them in their family law dispute.  Parties may be able to resolve their entire dispute with a mediator or may find that the can resolve aspects of their dispute, but they still need the judge to address some issues.

Where parties are unable to come to agreements in mediation, the parties will have a judge decide the issues.  The judge will hear evidence put on by the parties and, based on the evidence, tell the parties what to do. Because of the rules of evidence, courts will hear only a very small sliver of the parties’ life – way less than the parties know or the parties’ counsel may know.  As a result, parties may end up with orders neither of them like or that aren’t ultimately what is best for the parties.  These are typical limitations of court.  To the contrary, parties who enter into agreements that they create based on what is best for them tend to be happier than those who are ordered to do something by a judge.  Parties also tend to follow the agreements they make in divorce mediation more frequently than orders issued by the court.

Elle assists clients with all aspects of family law and divorce mediation.  She is a trained divorce mediator.  Elle’s experience as a family law attorney in Denver helps her guide parties by providing them with general information regarding their divorce or child custody dispute.  Elle has a variety of ways to resolve disputes both through her practice as an attorney and her experience working as a mediator.  As a result, Elle has a wealth of knowledge that she can use to guide parties to agreements.  Elle is also a trained Collaborative Divorce attorney, which gives her even more training and experience to rely on in assisting parties in mediation.  Elle strives to and takes seriously the neutrality required of a mediator and works to assist parties in creating the best agreements for them.