When a relationship comes to an end, you would like to have a balanced settlement that is – also and above all – good for the children.
It is not always easy to achieve this as a couple. Conversations can get heated and miscommunication can occur.
Understandably, because a divorce brings up many emotions and raises practical and legal questions.
- You contact us for a joint intake meeting.
We ask the other partner to confirm that he or she will attend. - After the no-obligation intake meeting for a fixed price, you decide whether to proceed with the mediation.
- If you continue with the mediation, we sign a ‘mediation protocol’ together, containing the outlines about:
- – full disclosure of relevant information
- – voluntary participation of each partner
- – secrecy and confidentiality
- In the course of the process, provisional agreements, partial agreements, revisions occur … but we continue until there is an overall agreement that clearly and properly regulates all issues for both partners.
- As lawyers, we turn the overall agreement into a legally binding document which we then present to the court.
We take special care with this document to avoid any disputes or interpretation problems.
Each mediation is customized, so the cost is also customized.
If you decide to go ahead with the mediation, we will draw up a fixed price for the entire process. You each pay half. There are no financial surprises.
Scheidingsbemiddeling is niet onderworpen aan BTW. Je bespaart dus 21%.
Expect about 5 meetings to reach a mediated agreement. Along the way, partial agreements are often reached, which we evaluate and review. You are closely involved in the entire process. This is less stressful than, for example, the uncertainty of a court ruling.
By way of comparison: a divorce through the courts takes about two years on average.
- Clear explanation (in advance) about our role as mediator and what we can offer.
- All urgent matters are discussed: children, house, possessions, child support, spousal support … The interests of the children are always paramount.
- – Clear and effective communication about your concerns.
- Multilateral partiality: we point out the interests of each partner and make the interests of the other visible and discussable.
- Support for both partners and the children with care for each other’s interests and concerns.
- Information about the financial and legal consequences of the divorce. You can count on our years of experience as family lawyers.
- – Legal support in the drafting of the agreements.
- Fiscal optimization of child support and legal benefits.
How children react when their parents decide to divorce depends very much on their age, gender, personality, alignment in the family …
Each child copes differently with a divorce.The children are faced with many changes and lose part of their familiar environment.
Therefore, our mediations also include a place for the children. This can be done in different ways:
- We advise you on support and guidance for the children during this difficult period.
- We let the children – depending on their age – indicate what is important to them when working out arrangements. However, this active participation must never place an additional burden on the children.
For this we work together with recognized family mediator Catherine De Bruyne. In a safe and clear setting she allows children to express what is important to them, using creative and activating methods (working with images, drawings, metaphors) adapted to the age of the child. - Sometimes a joint conversation between children and parents is possible with support from both mediators (Catherine De Bruyne for the children and Wouter De Canck or Jonas Van Giel for the parents).
Involving the children is not a must, but experience shows that they are often a powerful guide in showing what is valuable and important for future arrangements.