Divorce Mediation Checklist
Our Divorce Mediation Checklist is below. During the Mediation Sessions leading to a separation or divorce, we will guide you and your spouse to mediate the following issues:
We will also tell you what information to bring to the Mediation Sessions to help with decisions (i.e. information regarding budget, debts, bills, value of assets, including property, insurance, retirement plans, etc.).
Dr. Diane Kramer,
Mediator/Psychologist
_____________________________________________________________________
Parenting – Issues To Mediate:
1. Who has Legal Custody of the Children? – Legal Custody refers to who makes major decisions about the children regarding education, religion, and major healthcare issues). Legal custody can be Sole Custody or Joint Custody.
2. Who has Residential Custody? – Residential Custody refers to where the children will spend most of their time. In certain cases, Residential Custody can be split equally between the two parents, or in some other manner that works for you and your children.
3. How will the Parenting Schedule Work?
• Weekdays
• Weekends
• Holidays
• Summers
• Birthdays
• Extended vacation times
• Travel plans
• Temporary changes to plan
• Pickup Arrangements
3. How will the Communication Work? (telephone, email)
• Between parents
• Between parents and children
4. How will Child Support Work? Who Pays What?
• Child support: amount; method; time
5. Who Pays the Children’s Extra Expenses?
• Expenses for extras: activities, birthday parties, non-essential items
• Health insurance
• Medical expenses not covered by insurance
• Childcare expenses
• School/college expenses
6. Other Fiscal Decisions re the Children:
• Tax deductions
• Life insurance beneficiaries
7. What Will Be Your Parenting Guidelines:
• Rules and consequences
• Disagreements among the Spouses
• Flexibility Needed in Scheduling
• Behavior Problems in Kids
Spousal Support and Expenses – Issues To Mediate:
• Spousal Support: amount; method; time
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
Equitable Distribution of Property – Issues To Mediate:
What is the Value of your Assets and Liabilities? How are They to be Divided?
• Marital residence and other real estate
• Pensions
• Property expenses (mortgage, utilities, taxes)
• Household furnishings
• Motor vehicles (payments, insurance, expenses)
• Savings/checking accounts
• Investments/stocks
• Credit card and other consumer debt
• Personal debt
• School loans
• Insurance (cash value)
• Tax refunds or payments due
• Inheritance
• Bankruptcy
• Business
Other Issues To Mediate:
• Moving from the marital residence into a separate residence
• Communication between each and you and with the children
• Legal expenses of mediated divorce
• Resolving future disputes
We hope you can make good use of this Divorce Mediation Checklist. For more about divorce mediation and separation, please return to Long island Center for Divorce Mediation Suffolk County. For your convenience, we have two Divorce Mediation Suffolk County Offices in Huntington – and in Yaphank at Exit 68 of the Expressway.