How family mediation in Saskatoon can help you

Family Mediation is a non-adversarial, cooperative decision-making process in which a qualified and impartial third party, the mediator, assists participants to resolve and settle privately and by agreement the issues arising from their separation or marital breakdown.  It is a mutual process which can only take place when both parties are willing to engage in the process.

Mediation is generally a quicker and less expensive process then engaging in litigation.  It allows the parties to deal with both legal and non-legal issues in a more holistic manner than the adversarial system.  The parties control the outcome rather than having a judge impose arbitrary measures upon them, and more creative solutions can thus be achieved.

The mediator creates a safe environment for settlement discussions, assisting the parties with identifying the issues and potential resolutions, and keeping discussions focussed on the agreed upon issues.  Having an experienced family lawyer as your mediator is invaluable; although we cannot give legal advice to the parties, years of experience in family law assists in directing the mediation and ensuring the parties are focussed on the issues and working towards viable resolutions. Where necessary, an experienced family lawyer as mediator can easily identify issues that the parties may want to get independent legal advice on.

In order to remain impartial, at Mokuruk & Woods we do not meet with mediation clients on an individual basis.  Clients seeking mediation book an appointment to attend together to meet with the mediator.  At the initial appointment, the mediator will explain the mediation process, discuss their role in the process and address the issue of fees.

If both parties have agreed to proceed with mediation, and you would like to book an appointment with a mediator, please contact Karina Jackson’s assistant, Amy, at (306) 955-9610 or amy@woodslawoffice.ca.

Collaborative Process: An Overview

Collaborative Process is non-adversarial approach to helping individuals work through the issues arising from separation and divorce. The Collaborative Process is client-focused, allowing individuals to decide what issues they need to address and to work towards constructive solutions without going to court.

In the Collaborative Process, the role of the lawyer is to be the client’s advocate and to help the client identify key issues, gather and exchange information, and communicate in a productive way. In addition to both client’s collaboratively-trained lawyers, additional professionals, such as separation coaches or financial neutrals, can become part of the collaborative team to assist parties to communicate effectively and to solve their issues, with a focus on reaching cost-effective and sustainable solutions.

The Collaborative Process is different than other negotiation processes. In the Collaborative Process, the lawyers, other professionals, and clients all sign a participation agreement a setting out the expectations about how they will work together. One of these shared expectations is that the parties will stay out of Court while trying to resolve their issues. By signing this agreement, the lawyers and other professionals are disqualified from assisting the parties in the event the matter proceeds to Court.

By agreeing to stay out of Court, Collaborative family law cases are able to avoid the positional, adversarial, win-lose tone that negotiations can otherwise take. Instead, people involved in the Collaborative Process can talk about what everyone needs, including children if applicable, and how best to address those needs.

In the Collaborative Process, the parties’ choices – not court rules and procedures – influence the process, the costs, the amount of time, and the steps involved in reaching a lasting agreement.

For more information about the Collaborative Process, including Q&As and full descriptions of the separation coach and financial neutral’s roles, you can visit https://collabsask.com/.