If you have decided to dissolve your marriage, you might be dreading an ugly, drawn-out court battle. But, fortunately, that might not be necessary. If you and your spouse are candidates for mediation, you may be able to reach a comprehensive marital settlement that you simply present to the court for approval. Mediation allows couples to:
- Save time and move at their own pace — When you mediate a dispute, you are not restricted by a crowded court calendar. You can schedule mediation sessions when convenient for you. The process can move forward more rapidly, saving you considerable time.
- Control costs — Whenever a case goes to court, expenses soar. Trial preparation requires discovery, which often includes demands for documentation and answers to written interrogatories, depositions of parties and witnesses, reports from child psychologists, and other expensive tasks. Since mediation is a more cooperative process, much of the usual discovery is unnecessary, and if, for example, a child psychologist report is needed, parents can agree on a psychologist and share the costs.
- Reduce confrontation — Each party has goals for the mediation, but the process is not a winner-take-all contest. Each side understands there must be compromise, so the process is more cooperative than adversarial.
- Build a basis for future cooperation — When parties share children, they know they’ll have to deal with each other after the divorce. Going through a cooperative process such as mediation can build a foundation for future cooperation when parenting.
- Maintain greater control over the outcome — When a case goes to court, a judge can issue a ruling that is adverse to one party’s interests. But in mediation, parties only sign an agreement they are satisfied with. And when the parties are satisfied with the terms, they are more likely to commit to and abide by the agreement.
Less stress, less time, lower costs, and greater control over the outcome: these aspects of mediation make the process well worth considering.
For effective divorce mediation services based on ample experience, consult an experienced family law attorney at Kaufman & McPherson, PLLC.
