Mediation is usually a requirement in a family law, divorce, or child custody case regardless of whether the parties are represented by counsel.  Mediation presents a different set of challenges when it is dealing with unrepresented parties.  The court system in Colorado, whether your case is in Douglas County or elsewhere in the state, tries to make it possible for unrepresented parties to navigate the family law process.  But unrepresented parties often times lack even basic procedural knowledge of how family cases work.  This becomes a huge problem when there are disputed issues.  As a mediator for unrepresented parties, I cannot give legal advice to either side.  But I can certainly encourage the parties to agree on disputed issues, so the parties can avoid a contested hearing, and the procedural headaches that they entail.  Avoiding contested hearings in your family law case is the best way to get the case resolved without spending a large amount of money.