Whats the difference between a mediated settlement agreement and an agreement negotiated and drafted by lawyers?
Only lawyers and lawyer-mediators can draft binding mediated contracts for other people in Virginia. With a lawyer-mediator you get two professionals for the price of one. More importantly, when you and your spouse reach an agreement through the mediation process you have crafted a living document. Isolina Ricci said it well in her best-selling book “Mom’s House, Dad’s House:” “A first-class legal agreement is at best a good piece of surgery. It does not guarantee recuperation. The agreement is not enough. Parents need to learn how to make agreements work in daily life. ” It’s like the difference between losing weight by a “tummy tuck” instead of by a diet. Are you going to have your lawyer perform surgery on your marriage or are you going to have the lawyer-mediator help the two of you stay on a diet? The mediated interaction of parents leading to a legal written settlement contract is the beginning of a new working relationship. Ricci points out that a divorce decree does not teach t
