Bob O'connor

Marital Separation Agreements: a Guide for Non-lawyer Mediators Bob O'connor

Mediators assisting divorcing parties face many challenges not found in mediations of other types of cases. Never do emotions run higher than when children are involved. Who gets primary custody? How will visitation be determined or divided? How will support amounts be decided? Then there are the marital assets that need to be divided, the tax consequences to be considered, etc. There is a long list of items to be negotiated and then memorialized in a separation agreement. Non-lawyer mediators need to know what they can and cannot do to assist clients with these agreements. This guide will help them be able to assess the risks and to navigate more safely as they practice their craft. The goal is to maximize their effectiveness as practitioners, and by all means, to assist them in avoiding a charge of the unauthorized practice of law. b has given the current state of the art a gift. He takes us on an ?Bob has given the current state of the art a gift. He takes us on an important walk through history, shares the current ?standards? and makes some wise observations about where we are, where we might go and how to navigate while the field matures. Your understanding, awareness and comfort will definitely increase. Although there will still be uncertainty you will have the basis to make sound assessments about the edges of what is acceptable. If you are a beginner or a full time mediator working in the trenches this book is a must read.? ? Stewart Levine, Esq. Founder of www. ResolutionWorks.com Author of Getting to Resolution and The Book of Agreement