Divorce mediation can be a very effective tool for helping couples who have filed for divorce to resolve important issues that typically come up in divorce proceedings such as parenting agreements, child custody issues, child support, alimony, division of assets, etc.  The reason why divorce mediation can be so effective is that It’s the mediators job to keep the lines of communication open between the parties, to help them brainstorm ideas to settle their issues, and to help keep the couple focused on the issues at hand as opposed to the issues that broke them up.  Oftentimes, there are unresolved emotional issues the parties are dealing with and they may be too busy fighting to focus on the issues they need to focus on to resolve the legal issues.  Having a neutral third party there to keep them focused and to help them work through the issues can be a great benefit.  Also, parties who wish to have an amicable divorce and who attend mediation prior to filing for divorce, can hammer out these issues in advance and save time, money and aggravation by presenting the Court with an agreement that the Court can adopt and make part of the divorce decree.