You May Go Back to Mediation After a Divorce is Finalized

After your divorce is finalized, you might at some point need to make some adjustments to your divorce agreement to reflect changes that have occurred in your life circumstances. Rather than going straight to court with these issues, you may wish to instead return to mediation to work through the issue with your ex.

Here are a few examples of issues you might need to “re-mediate” at some point after your agreement is finalized.

• Child support: If there is a substantial change in financial circumstances, you can seek a child support modification. You and your ex can negotiate this modification outside of court, or request a mediator to help you come to a new calculation that will be fair to both parties.
• Child custody: A child’s needs will change dramatically as they age, and a child custody arrangement that worked when they were three might not work when they are 13. You can return to mediation to work through the development of a new child custody arrangement that is in the child’s best interest.
• Alimony: Changing financial circumstances can also lead to a need for changes to an alimony arrangement. This is an issue spouses can negotiate in a mediation setting. Resolutions could include temporary payment reductions, permanent payment changes or elimination of alimony entirely.

As with the divorce process, mediation saves a lot of time and money when re-negotiating certain issues that must be revisited after your divorce is finalized. For more information about how you can use mediation to your advantage in such scenarios, contact an experienced Long Island attorney at Solutions Divorce Mediation.