"I want to mediate my divorce, but my spouse is so full of bitterness and anger that he refuses. What can I do?"

Pre-suit mediation -- a mediation that takes place before filing for divorce -- is a voluntary process, and both parties must agree to attend. A spouse who is extremely angry and bitter may agree to try and set aside those feelings and work on a settlement, but this is not always the case. This does not mean that the divorce must become an extremely expensive, contested, drawn-out court battle.

Once a divorce case is filed, a judge will require the parties to mediate at some point during the case, usually after the parties have completed the discovery process. Since almost all cases end up in mediation, many parties and their lawyers agree to go to mediation, or get together for a settlement conference, early on in the case in order to save time and money. By hiring a divorce lawyer who shares your objective to work towards a resolution and avoid litigation if at all possible, you may increase your chances of resolving the divorce peacefully, with or without divorce mediation.

Lori Barkus is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator and Circuit Civil Mediator and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Collaborative Family Lawyers of South Florida. Her office is located in Weston, FL. This divorce attorney can be reached at (954) 349-7988. View her Divorce Magazine profile.