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→The mediation process
The first step is for each party to meet with a lawyer, hopefully a family law lawyer. Even if you don't intend on hiring the lawyer for the whole mediation process, or having the lawyer with you at the mediation, it can be really helpful to meet with a lawyer before the process begins to get some proper legal advice about the law that applies to your situation, and a sense of the general range of likely outcomes and the options available to you.
If you plan on retaining the lawyer for the mediation process, the lawyer will have the names of three or four mediators with whom they prefer to work. [httphttps://www.mediatebc.com/Mediation-Services/Family-Mediation-Services.aspx Mediate BC], formerly the BC Mediation Roster Society, maintains a list of many, but not all, of the people who are trained as mediators in this province. Their website can help you find a mediator and offers more information about the mediation process, and you can also do a google search for "family law mediator British Columbia" to get more names. Many family law lawyers — who may or may not be members of Mediate BC — are also accredited family law mediators; lawyers who work as mediators will usually say so in their advertising.
Once you've picked a mediator, the mediator will usually provide you or your lawyer with an intake sheet to get some basic information about you, your family and your legal dispute, as well as their usual participation agreement. Mediation participation agreements, just like the participation agreements used in collaborative negotiation, arbitration and parenting coordination, describe your rights and responsibilities during the mediation process, the process itself and the terms of the mediator's services. The mediator may want you to get independent legal advice about the meaning and effect of their mediation participation agreement if you have not hired a lawyer already.