In almost all divorce mediation, the settlement always starts with negotiation. Of course, the identification of the issues is always a prerequisite before the parties can come to an agreement. It is the job of the mediator to extract information from the parties to make sure that the solution or proposal of the mediator directly hits their concerns.
To say the least, negotiation plays a key role in mediation. However, it will be inevitable for the parties to misunderstand each other along the way, and it is the job of the mediator to address these points. A divorce mediator’ role cannot be overemphasized in making sure that the parties are on the same page during each stage of the process.