When experiencing a separation or divorce, litigation is not the sole option for addressing your concerns. Delve deeper into the concept of hybrid mediation.
Engaging in legal proceedings to conclude your separation or divorce can be a protracted and costly endeavour, fraught with emotional strain. Revealing intimate aspects of your life can make the process even more challenging. Yet, achieving the desired outcome for both yourself and your children is not guaranteed.
Hybrid mediation serves as an option for couples aiming to address their separation or divorce matters with assistance from their lawyers, bypassing court involvement. Particularly beneficial in circumventing the prolonged court processes accentuated by the pandemic, Hybrid mediation is the focus of this discussion.
Exploring the Concept of Hybrid Mediation
Mediation has been a widely used method for resolving family disagreements over an extended period of time. This process involves both disputing parties engaging in sessions facilitated by a neutral mediator to explore various solutions and come to a mutually acceptable agreement without involving the court system, thus preserving valuable time and financial resources.
Hybrid mediation expands upon traditional mediation by allowing both parties to involve their legal representatives. In hybrid mediation, you and your former partner have the option to include your solicitors in the sessions, where they can offer legal counsel throughout the mediation process. Following the agreement reached, your solicitor can then formalise the decisions, ensuring their legal validity.
Hybrid mediation is becoming more popular as it is effective in handling contentious and intricate cases that conventional mediation may not be equipped to handle. Furthermore, it offers various advantages, which will be elaborated upon subsequently.
Discovering the Dynamics of Hybrid Mediation
Opting for hybrid mediation involves convening with both your legal representatives and mediator to establish a procedural framework. The approach can emulate a court trial’s structure or adopt a more amicable, less contentious pace, leaving the decision-making in your hands.
While having everyone in one room is beneficial, it is not mandatory. Alternatively, participants can be located in different rooms with the mediator moving between them, or sessions can be held virtually via platforms like Zoom. Maintaining privacy is crucial during meetings involving financial disclosures, which should ideally be conducted in a confidential setting. The mediator is responsible for safeguarding any disclosed information until instructed otherwise by the parties involved.
Matrimonial finances are the separation of your finances, including the allocation of marital assets and debts. The aim is to reach a financial settlement that meets the needs of everyone in the family without putting one person under undue pressure or hardship. Reaching a financial settlement on divorce used to be referred to as Ancillary Relief.
Advantages of Combining Mediation Styles
There are multiple factors advocating for the adoption of hybrid mediation over pursuing legal resolutions for your concern.
- Resolving a conflict via the legal system could be time-consuming and expensive, potentially lasting for months to years and incurring significant solicitors’ charges. Conversely, hybrid mediation offers a quicker and more economical alternative.
- You are supported by your legal representatives during the hybrid mediation process, and you have the option to engage specialists like financial advisors for additional guidance.
- Comfort and convenience are prioritised in mediation sessions, where you can opt for separate rooms if being in the same space as your ex-partner is undesirable. Alternatively, sessions can be conducted via Zoom for added flexibility.
- In a legal setting, you may find that the judge dictates the ultimate resolution. Hybrid mediation, on the other hand, grants you greater autonomy concerning the post-separation arrangements for your children.
- Better outcomes: In a court setting, there is often a winner and a loser. Hybrid mediation encourages compromise, so both sides might walk away satisfied. This can pave the way for an easy-going future for both parties
- Minimizing anxiety: Engaging in a legal battle where personal information is exposed can be overwhelming for you and your children. Hybrid mediation offers a solution to alleviate the tension in such circumstances.
- Due to the direct engagement of solicitors during the process, hybrid mediation offers the capability to address intricate or contentious matters more effectively than traditional family mediation.
Use Hybrid Mediation
Having comprehended the advantages of incorporating hybrid mediation, you can acknowledge its merit as a prudent approach when going through a separation or divorce.