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The end of a Louisiana marriage often causes a couple to feel as though their lives are spinning out of control. How you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse deal with these emotions in the first days of the divorce will shape each of your futures. One way to regain some control and feel better about the future could be to engage in divorce mediation.

Like other Louisiana couples, you do not have to dread a nasty battle in a courtroom. Whether you and the other party anticipate getting along after the divorce does not necessarily matter. If you can put aside your negative emotions for each other long enough to create a settlement that benefits the both of you as much as possible, you both win.

The goal of mediation is to protect your rights and negotiate a settlement with which you can live well into the future. The process also allows you to come up with creative solutions to your issues, such as property division and custody. The courts can only do so much, so being able to “think outside the box” is just one of the benefits mediation provides. If you have children, this can be especially advantageous, since you can work on a parenting plan that protects the best interests of the children and works for the whole family as well.

Reaching this point may take several sessions, depending on what each of you wants out of the divorce mediation process. It would be a good idea to go into the first session with as clear an understanding as possible of what you believe the outcome should be when the process is complete. Thereafter, the agreement can be taken to the court for approval. As long as none of the terms violates public interests or law, and the best interests of your children are protected, obtaining that approval should not be difficult.