Note that answers given in this section cannot take the place of independent legal or financial advise. Please read our disclaimer.

"Do both myself and my spouse need to be in the same room if we go the mediation route for our divorce?"

Not necessarily, although normally mediations do take place with both you, your spouse, and the mediator together in one room. The more important question, though, is: why wouldn’t you want to be in the same room with your spouse during mediation? While mediation is not without conflict, it is still supposed to occur in a safe environment, with both parties participating freely and relatively equally. If you are worried for your own safety while in a mediation session, or if you are worried that your spouse will harm you in some way after the mediation session if he or she does not like what you said while you were with the mediator, then perhaps mediation is not the best choice for you.

Karen A. Covy, J.D. is a divorce attorney and family-law mediator in Chicago, Illinois. She owns and operates Midwest Mediation as well as a successful family-law firm. She can be reached at (312) 236-1670. View her Divorce Magazine profile.

Tuesday, May 15
at 8 pm to 8:30 EST
Out With the Tragedy: Turning Divorce into a meaningful experience
with Allison Pescosolido and Andra Brosh, founders of Divorce Detox
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