Does North Carolina require mediation before a divorce is granted?
Mediation is not required in all North Carolina divorce cases, but the court may order it in yours if you and your spouse can’t resolve child custody or visitation issues. 6. How does the state determine child custody? The vast majority of parents are able to agree on their child custody arrangements without intervention or approval of the state. When a party requests a custody determination by the state the court will typically award custody to one party and visitation to the other. Custody means “control” and the parent with custody has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the child. The other parent will usually have “visitation” as deemed appropriate by the court. In some cases, the court will award “joint custody”. In these cases the judge will usually designate one parent as the primary decision maker and have the child reside primarily with that parent. The other parent will, usually, be awarded certain periods of time with the child. In determining custody, the court is
