Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about your individual situation it is best to seek the advice of an experienced legal professional.
If you are lucky enough to work from home you may be no stranger to constant rounds of Zoom meetings and social calls via various videoconferencing apps. While isolating can be a privilege, Zoom fatigue is real and leaves many of us craving in-person connection. When the pandemic ends, there’s no doubt that many of us will rush out to barbecues, bars and restaurants again, gladly fleeing the comfort of our couches. The one exception to this may be our divorce negotiations.
As the pandemic has progressed, divorces via zoom have become the new normal. You can even appear in court virtually. Despite this, the process of navigating your divorce through the courts is drastically slowed down. For ease and efficiency, even those who would have considered litigating are choosing online divorce mediation via apps like Zoom. Divorce attorneys and mediators are reporting some of the benefits of Zoom divorce mediation and predicting that it could be here to stay a long time after the pandemic has left us.
At BCS, we often work with West Coast couples and people anywhere in the United States who require secure Zoom divorce mediation for a variety of reasons. Prior to the pandemic, many couples availed of online divorce mediation because they were relocating either within the US or internationally. Many couples living in San Diego and other cities in California were working for the tech or biomedical industry, and many were from international backgrounds. These couples faced complex issues in their divorces revolving around immigration, relocation and child custody. Now other couples facing into divorce are experiencing what it’s like to get divorced online.
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of a Zoom divorce mediation is that you don’t have to be in the same room as your divorcing spouse. This can help both parties to relax. Another benefit of Zoom divorce mediation is the way mediation sessions can be structured. It is easier to take time out in a remote mediation. You can take a breather from the meeting or head into a break-out room to consult with the mediator, your attorney or anyone else who may be advising you on your divorce. This can relieve divorcing spouses of the pressure of feeling they must be completely prepared, giving the chance to pause and take a break, ask questions, or even do a google search. Since the mediation takes place online, there is no undue burden on one spouse to drive for miles to a location that might be inconvenient for them. Another unexpected benefit is the dreaded thumbnail in which you can see your face. As awkward as it is to see yourself on Zoom, divorce attorneys and mediators are reporting that it helps clients to regulate their expressions and negotiate more calmly, leading to a quicker and fairer settlement.
The mediators at BCS have psychoanalytical knowhow in addition to legal and financial expertise. Like all mediations, remote divorce sessions are built around the comfort of both parties and their psychological needs. The flexible scheduling and the ability to take time out can lead to a more considered agreement. For people who would normally find themselves caving in or reacting to their divorcing spouse in the mediation room, Zoom mediation could be the answer. When the pandemic is over many divorcing couples may find that this is the option that still works best.
Who We Are and How We Can Help
We are caring, well-educated mediators who are skilled in applied financial mathematics, the law psychoanalysis, and game theory. We strive to efficiently comprehend your situation and its opportunities for sustainable and agreeable resolution. This may include a review of your parenting plan, spousal support calculations, community property equalization, settlement agreement, and all other aspects of your case. We can either confidentially present you with a private analysis, or mediate the conflict with both of you until resolved. Any resolution you come to will be informed by a deeper analysis of the conflict that can be psychoanalytic and/or more financially-focused. Conflict analysis can result in a more optimized understanding of the net community property, which adds value to the overall estate, benefiting you both. The sooner you can resolve your conflict, the sooner you can begin to craft a sustainable future for you and your children. Our specially trained divorce mediator-accountants can also help reveal and investigate the proven financial facts of a divorce to make a full financial appraisal of your divorce and to suggest creative solutions for financial planning after divorce. Our high-level divorce mediation services are tailored to the needs of people with complex lives or divorces that may be difficult or protracted. We can intervene to break litigation deadlocks when divorces are already underway. We work with individuals from several cultures and countries, and can help with national and international relocation issues associated with divorce. Our remote mediations are safe, socially distant and completely confidential, secured by two private servers. We are available 7 days a week and at urgent notice. Please contact us to see how we can help.