DIVORCE     DIVORCE MEDIATOR  CHILD CUSTODY AND VISITATION

Divorce and Divorce Mediation
I am a skilled divorce lawyer with knowledge and understanding of the family laws of this state. I am an experienced negotiator and family trial lawyer. Additionally, I am an experienced divorce mediator, who is committed to mediation as an alternative method for couples seeking to dissolve their marriage. I am a member of the Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Council for Divorce Mediation.

 

Divorce
As a lawyer I am a skilled negotiator and my first approach is to negotiate a fair settlement for my client. I attempt to settle issues between my client and his/her spouse in a civil and fair fashion. However, if negotiations fail, I will go to trial and vigorously advocate my client's interests in court.

 

Mediation
I am a strong proponent of Divorce Mediation as a means to resolve the issues and conflicts involved in a marriage break-up. As a mediator, I serve the couple as a neutral facilitator to enable the couple to fully and satisfactorily resolve their issues themselves. Resolving divorce issues without lawyers saves money. Divorce mediation is an alternative method by which a husband and wife by themselves can endeavor to resolve the issues of the marriage break-up with the help of a trained neutral mediator in a controlled and structured environment. In divorce mediation the husband and wife communicate and negotiate directly with one another to resolve the issues arising out of their break-up. The mediator helps to define the issues, and guide and set the agenda for the discussion. The goal is for the couple to settle their differences outside the courtroom without the need for direct lawyer involvement.

 

Until such time as the couple signs a formal agreement, no legally binding commitments are made. Hence, either party can withdraw from mediation without fear that they have harmed their position in the divorce process. There is no risk for trying mediation, and there are significant benefits in succeeding!

 

With the help of the mediator the issues and solutions are framed and determined by the parties, and not by the lawyers or the court system. The parties retain control over the content and pace of the process. Emphasis is on the future needs and interests of the individual parties and their children. The parties determine the outcome; it is not imposed upon them.

 

Consequently, mediation can produce more creative, individualized, and workable solutions. Experience has proven that parties have more respect for agreements they themselves reach through mediation, than outcomes which are the product of the traditional litigation process. Hence, parties to a mediated divorce are more likely to respect and abide by their agreement.

 

Finally, when a couple ends their marriage in mediation, each party leaves the marriage emotionally better off than they would have done otherwise. This is due to their direct participation in the process and the outcome. Although the process is about breaking up, mediation can help with the healing process and moving into the future.

Children

When children are concerned, divorcing is more than dissolving a marriage, dividing property, determining support payments and deciding custody. It is also about preserving and ensuring the parent child relationship. Measures need to be taken to prevent the marriage break-up from damaging the parent child relationship. Although the parents are no longer together, they remain part of their childrens' family. It is important for the parents and their children to remain involved with one another. Preservation of the parent child relationship cannot be overlooked and needs to be emphasized in the divorce process.

 

 

 

 

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WM. BRADLEY KELLOGG

MATRIMONIAL LAWYER AND MEDIATOR