How to Plan for Divorce Mediation Sessions
Video Transcript
Divorce mediation sessions typically involve 1–5 meetings where spouses work with a neutral mediator to reach a settlement on key issues like custody, support, and property division. Preparation—organizing financial records, clarifying priorities, and understanding your legal rights—can save time, reduce conflict, and improve outcomes. This article explains how mediation works, what to bring, how to set goals, and strategies for negotiating effectively.
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
How many different meetings usually occur in a divorce mediation? Does it get resolved in the second time, third time, first time, what?
Bill Leininger – Divorce Mediation Attorney – Staten Island, New York
Well, there’s several different modalities. Some divorce mediators believe in three-to-four-hour sessions. That developed because you have morning sessions and afternoon sessions, and the mediators like to have a full schedule, so they like to do it no doubt.
I’ve always believed in shorter sessions. My standard divorce session is an hour and a half. If I have people who are fragile or elderly, sometimes we’ll cut it down to an hour.
But the key thing is, remember, the clients are divorces. Don’t ask the divorce mediator to do anything illegal or unethical, and we must carry out the client’s wishes.
So, when we’re having a meeting, let’s say we book it for an hour and a half, but after an hour, one of the parties says, you know, I’m feeling kind of tired, so do you want to cancel now and we will continue next week? They don’t get charged for the hour and a half.
It’s not like a psychotherapist. They reserve an hour and a half, and many mediators will do that. We only will reserve it for a specific time, but if people are tired or it’s been a very stressful session, you only get charged for the actual time that that meeting takes place.
So, clients, if it’s been an emotionally draining session and after an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes they want to end it, they know they’re not going to have to pay for a two- or three-hour block of time.