When can a court order mediation?

Court-ordered mediation, also called "court-sponsored mediation," is usually ordered with regard to issues of child custody, visitation, and child support. Roughly two-thirds of the states have some form of court-ordered mediation.

Some of the states require divorcing couples that have child custody, visitation, and support issues to mediate. Other states leave it up to the judge’s discretion, who then will decide on a case-by-case basis. You can reference, later in this chapter, each state’s guidelines for court ordered counseling and mediation.