A good mediator, on the other hand, approaches a domestic dispute much differently, often patiently listening to hours of angry recriminations, emotional outbursts, and assorted ill feeling
(none of which would be admissible in court), as an essential first step to helping the disputants focus on fashioning a joint solution. If it turns out that the parties agree to joint custody only if the assets of a jointly owned business are divided 60-40 (instead of the 50-50 that a court might be legally bound to impose under the circumstances), and one spouse agrees to always say ten “Hail Marys” before putting the kids to bed, so be it.
Mediation not only offers disputants a chance to try to resolve their disputes by sitting down with a person skilled in
