Saskatoon Mediation Lawyers Helping Couples Avoid Family Court During the Divorce Process

Mediation outside the family court and doesn’t involve a fight. Going through a divorce can be a frustrating and emotional process. Working through disagreements with your spouse is a challenge. Divorce is difficult when you cannot agree on family law matters like parenting and property division. When you imagine facing your spouse in court, if you want to run and hide to escape the process. You certainly are not alone. That feeling of dread is usual during divorce, particularly if you’re not a confrontational person. Maybe you’re tired of fighting with someone you loved for so long. If that describes you, divorce mediation as a peaceful alternative may be the best path forward.

Fortunately, divorce does not have to mean spending time in court. You can use mediation instead to make decisions together while staying as amicable as possible with your spouse. Our lawyers have years of experience helping families transition to a new system. We help spouses legally end their marriages without stepping foot in the courtroom. We can do this with dispute resolution through the divorce mediation process. Discover the benefits of divorce mediation. Set up an initial consultation with our mediation lawyers in Saskatoon to get started.

What Is Divorce Mediation?

Mediation is an alternative to the traditional court process when it comes to divorce. Not hiring a lawyer to go to court to aggressively fight for your rights as you separate from your spouse. In mediation, you will talk to a neutral third party, called a family mediator. Their goal is to help you and your spouse come to an agreement on family law issues.

For example, if you need to agree on parenting arrangements, division of assets and debts, and child support. You and your spouse will let the family mediator know your desired outcome. The mediator will then help you find ways to land a compromise that works for both of you.

As you might imagine, the family mediation process will require cooperation and civility from both you and your spouse. Additionally, you will likely not come away from the final meeting having gotten everything you wanted, since the point is to come to an agreement that works for you and your spouse equally. However, mediation is often calmer and less aggressive than the typical divorce court process, so it may be appropriate if maintaining a harmonious relationship with your former spouse is important to you.

Mediation also gives you and your spouse more control over the results than going to court would since you work on conflict resolution together rather than letting a judge make decisions for your family. So, if you and your spouse want to maintain some control over the separation agreement and avoid a hostile courtroom environment during divorce, talk to our mediation lawyers in Saskatoon to see if this option is right for you.

What Is Early Family Dispute Resolution?

Are you going through divorce in Saskatoon? Since July 1, 2022, Saskatchewan courts began requiring divorcing couples to go through the early family dispute resolution process first. If you fail to do so, you cannot proceed with the legal divorce process, unless you’re able to get a rare exception due to domestic violence, child abduction by the other parent, or another emergency situation.

If you’re not familiar with early family dispute resolution, it’s helpful to first know that it’s meant to resolve a range of family law issues without going to court. These include everything from parenting arrangements and child support and property division. In order to complete your divorce, you and your spouse need to come to an agreement on these important matters, and the family dispute resolution process will help.

There are four main forms of this type of conflict resolution available to you in Saskatoon. They include:

• Mediation
• Collaborative law
• Arbitration
• Parenting coordination

It’s up to you and your spouse to choose the option that’s best for both of you. Regardless of the one you choose, the goal is to come to an agreement on all family law matters that apply to your case. Once you complete the family dispute resolution course you decide is right for your family, you will get a certificate of participation so you can continue with the legal process of divorcing your spouse.

At Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation, we’re proud to help our clients find the right type of conflict resolution for their family. We believe in working toward a satisfactory outcome for everyone without involving the court system whenever possible. As such, we encourage you to come to us for help whether you’re considering mediation, collaborative law, or parenting coordination in Saskatoon.

How Do Early Family Dispute Resolution Options Differ from Each Other?

At our Saskatoon law firm, our lawyers help clients with family mediation, parenting coordination, and collaborative law. These processes are similar in that they avoid the divorce court process and allow clients more control than usual over the outcome.

But a major difference is that both divorce mediation services and parenting coordination are with neutral mediators. By contrast, collaborative law requires each spouse to hire their own lawyer to represent them in negotiations until they sign a separation agreement.

Additionally, during divorce mediation, the family mediator works hard to help spouses communicate better so their heightened emotions don’t stop them from reaching a settlement that works for both of them. With collaborative law, each spouse has a Saskatoon family lawyer on their side to represent their interests.

Furthermore, family law mediation usually help couples with numerous issues early in the process. But parenting coordinators usually only step in after it’s clear that parents cannot agree on issues within their parenting plan. Their goal is to limit the negative effects that parental conflict can have on children while ensuring the final outcome is what’s best for them.

If you have any other questions about how family mediation differs from other services we offer, we invite you to call our Saskatoon law offices to learn more about the collaborative law process.

Is It Time To Hire Divorce Mediation Lawyer in Saskatoon?

If you are in the early stages of divorce and need to know what requirements you’re supposed to meet to proceed, come to Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation today. Our divorce mediation lawyers in Saskatoon are dedicated to helping clients through mediation proceedings to legally end relationships that are no longer working out for them while avoiding further court proceedings whenever possible.

After all, going to court for divorce and all the family law matters associated with it can be time-consuming, expensive, and emotionally draining for all involved. Any time you can avoid court proceedings in favor of mediation or similar negotiations, you should, as the right dispute resolution tactic can save your sanity. If you want to learn more about the mediation process, collaborative law, or parenting coordination, call our Saskatoon law firm today at to set up an initial consultation with our skilled family law lawyers.