Yes. Many of my mediation clients are pro se, meaning they do not have an attorney, or, if represented by an attorney, elect not to have their attorney attend mediation. It is my belief that parties are in the best position to make decisions about their family post-divorce. As long as all parties act in good faith, bring all information to the table, and are willing to have open and honest conversations, then mediation can be a successful process.
If any or all parties to a mediation need extra support during mediation, then their attorney will attend mediation with them.
In this case, the mediation will most likely be “shuttle style.” This means each party and their attorney will be in a separate breakout room and I will go between each breakout room to help the parties reach agreement.
At the end of the day, prior to signing any legal document, I strongly recommend it is reviewed by an attorney to ensure you fully understand the agreements outlined in the document. In these cases, I recommend you reach out to a Collaborative attorney through Collaborative Professionals of Washington, Collaborative Divorce Washington, or King County Collaborative Law as they are focused on helping parties avoid court.
