Your First Mediation Appointment

You aren't required to prepare or bring anything specific to your first mediation appointment (unless your mediator tells you to do or bring something specific), but the better informed you are about your assets, liabilities, children's schedules, and your goals for the outcome of your situation, the more progress you will make in the mediation session. There's no need to go overboard in planning for the first session, but it is helpful if you have an idea about your assets and debts, as well as your goals for the outcome of your case.

It's helpful if you can bring the following to the first session:

• A list of your assets
• A list of your debts
• If you own a house, the year you bought the house, how much you paid, what you think it's worth now, and how much you owe on the house
• If you're claiming that any of the assets or debts are "separate property" (the responsibility of just one party, not both of you), please indicate that on your list
• A recent pay stub
• Last year's tax return (copy of the first two pages, or the full return if you own a business or rental property)
• If there are issues about personal property, please bring a list of the items that you cannot agree upon
• A list of your and your spouse's basic information: Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail, children's names and dates of birth, date of your marriage and date of your separation

Assets include:

• House
• Cars (value now, amount owed on loan)
• Pension, profit sharing, IRA accounts, 401k accounts (include any loan information)
• Bank accounts
• Stock accounts
• Certificates of Deposit
• Businesses you own, or own a partial share

In addition, if you have children, please bring:

• A copy of their school schedule
• A copy of their extra-curricular activity schedule

If you wish to do further planning, you may want to bring your proposals for settlement of your finances and your proposed parenting plan. It's helpful to meet with an attorney, accountant or mediation coach before your first session if you need some help in getting organized. Those same professionals can help you formulate settlement proposals and to weigh the pros and cons of your settlement agreements when the times comes.