In my mediation, we had one attorney who did the mediation, but we each had our own separate attorney to consult with. That worked well because your own attorney can tell you what's fair, what you might expect if you went to court instead, can advise you on negotiations. There are things i agreed to in mediation that I might not have felt as comfortable with if I didn't already know from my private attorney that it was as good or better than what the courts would have given me. And it kept my ex on the right path, as his attorney would give him a reality check when his demands were unreasonable.
I would go to a mediation session, then consult my private attorney during the week, then go back to another mediation session.
