There are many different ways to settle a divorce dispute. While Pennsylvania family court is the most common, mediation is a growing arena that can be a great way to handle various issues that relate to divorce. In mediation, a divorcing couple works with a neutral mediator who listens, facilitates, and referees all negotiations between both of the spouses. The ultimate goal of the mediation session is for both spouses to come to a written agreement, without the involvement of the court, which spells out each component of the divorce. While it’s not required that your PA mediator be a Pennsylvania attorney, it is highly preferable because, at the end of the mediation, an attorney mediator is permitted to file a Marriage Settlement Agreement with the court. A non-attorney mediator would need to seek counsel from an attorney in order to make the agreement that both spouses reached in mediation binding. Some issues that can be discussed in mediation include: child custody, alimony, support, equitable distribution, and more.