If you and your partner decide to divorce, mediation is one way in which you can make arrangements beforehand to cover the consequences of the divorce. In divorce mediation, each partner is assisted by a lawyer/vFAS divorce mediator from our firm. The aim of the mediation process is for both spousal partners to work together to formulate suitable solutions for both themselves and any children by means of discussions conducted under the guidance of a mediator. If the partners are able to reach agreement, the specific arrangements are recorded in a divorce contract, and in a parenting plan if they have children who are minors. These documents have to be signed for approval by both spousal partners and are submitted to the court, together with the petition for divorce, by the lawyer-mediator. The court will usually issue the divorce order to the lawyer-mediator within one to two months, who then arranges to have the decision entered in the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages, making the divorce definitive.

Many divorcees find that a divorce conducted through mediation leads to an outcome with which they feel more satisfied over the long term than with decisions handed down by the court. This is only logical, as an agreement reached through mediation is a solution effected by both partners working together, which also tends to make it faster, more amicable and less costly than adversarial divorce proceedings in court. Mediation by one of our firm’s vFAS mediators is also an option if any problems should arise between you and your ex-spouse after the divorce. For further information about divorce mediation and the vFAS association for family law lawyers-divorce mediators, visit the website verderonline.nl (in Dutch).