Parents who separate or divorce cannot rid themselves of contact with the other parent just by living separately.  Whether at a school play, soccer game, Christmas dinner, or wedding, the future is replete with events involving their children.   Consequently, no matter how high conflict the separation, parents who are getting a divorce and parents in paternity cases need to learn how to deal with each other when their children are involved.

The Jefferson County Missouri Family Court/Circuit Court has a rule requiring that parents who have disagreements about custody attend two hours of mediation.   Mediation is a process where a trained individual helps parents identify the issues about which they disagree and possible solutions.  Parents can then choose the right option in light of the best interest of the child.  Parents can learn how to deal with each other when they are required to interact in the mediation process.  A “rough and tumble” relationship needs to be transformed to a civil one because children are hurt when parents fight.

Mediation also can help people decide how property should be divided, whether child support needs to be paid, and how much child support is appropriate.   People can often reach agreements in mediation if they can strip away emotions and look at the options outside of the courtroom.  Mediation is also a much less expensive way to resolve issues in a divorce or paternity.  Compared to the cost of litigation, mediation is very inexpensive.

Kramer and Hand can help with your mediation issues.  If you choose to try to resolve your differences through mediation, Kourtney Lamb in the Arnold office and Alice Kramer in the Hillsboro office are ready to meet your needs.