It’s not. There is no standardized certification for mediation or divorce mediation, so Wevorce is aiming to create one. Lack of standardization has sometimes given mediation a bad reputation with complaints of gender bias, aggressive mediators, and non-attorney mediators unable to provide the law. Wevorce is a company’s effort to ensure that only trained, attorney-mediators oversee the mediation. They then connect clients to financial or child specialists as needed.
Wevorce’s model is very similar to the collaborative practice model where clients use consulting attorneys, a neutral mediator, financial advisors, and child specialists, as needed. (See Collaborative Practice) A critique of the collaborative practice model is the lack of structure, allowing the success of the process to rely upon the professionals’ expertise. Wevorce tries to create more structure thereby putting the reigns on the exploding financial costs we have seen in collaborative practice. Wevorce states an average cost of $9K for a divorce. (See Wevorce) . While this is lower than many collaborative divorces, most mediated divorces should have a much lower price point.
Additionally, lack of certification for mediation has resulted in mediating attorneys that run the spectrum of haphazard mediations that lack legal content and legal protections, to ongoing and relentless mediations that fail to settle. Wevorce is creating a structure that many mediations lack, aiming to help mediators provide efficient yet legally protective mediations.
Whether using Wevorce or another divorce mediator, things to look for in your mediator are: 1) attorney member with their state Bar Association; 2) trained and experienced in divorce mediation; 3) offering a structured mediation process; and 4) collaborating with paralegals, financial advisors and child specialists.
For clients that do not have these options available locally, Wevorce can fill this gap.