Divorce Mediation

Why should you choose Mediation over Litigation?

Mediation can be used as a way to help a couple navigate through the dissolution of their marriage from being marital partners, to being parenting partners.

When a couple divorces, they often forget they will be tied to each other through their children. Everyone says they do not want their divorce to cause their children any pain. What causes children pain is the inability for their parents to get along (to not be able to be in a room together without stress).

Mediation gives couples the ability to begin to put closure on their past relationship and often times enable them to begin to transition to a new type of relationship, Partners in parenting their Children. Couples may begin to see that they have at least one major belief in common, the best interests of their children.

Mediation gives you the ability to appropriately disclose your feelings of hurt and anger to your partner, without the interpretation of an attorney. Litigation is the ending of the business part of the relationship and only encourages that closure. Mediation encourages parties to communicate, negotiate, understand the problems, and diffuses unrealistic expectations. Mediation is less emotionally damaging to the couple ending the marriage, and therefore less damaging to the children and the extended families. Mediation helps lay the groundwork for the couple to begin to have a more civilized relationship, after the couple has divorced.

Mediation encourages respect, response, rights, responsibility, reciprocity and regard. These six components of communication are used throughout the mediation process and promote a mature relationship.

In a standard litigated divorce, you are paying for someone else to negotiate your divorce and you are paying for every minute your attorneys are speaking to one another. In Mediation you and your spouse are negotiating your own divorce agreement with the help of a mediator. Mediation gives you a format to address your individual needs in a far more creative venue.

Mediation has proven to be more cost effective in most cases. Mediators usually charge hourly fees comparable to those of lawyers. The average standard divorce requires about 170 hours while in litigation; the average mediation requires about 20 hours, or less.

The average litigation divorce may cost from $20,000.00 - $50,000.00. A typical Mediated Divorce may cost from $4,000.00 - $8,000.00. Money must be considered, when we are embarking on this transition. You are going from one household, to establishing two. Mediation leaves more money for both spouses and for your children.