Divorce Mediation
Amicable divorce? Divorce mediation can save you time, money, and stress.
Going through a divorce is always difficult. But the longer matters drag on and the more heated your disagreements become, the worse the experience will be for the entire family—especially your children. Fortunately, just because you have not been able to agree on anything with your ex doesn’t necessarily mean you have to resign yourself to a long and contentious court battle. Divorce mediation can offer an excellent alternative.
What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce mediation is a collaborative process that gives you the opportunity to discuss your divorce agreements with your ex in a way that is more structured than a simple chat at the dining room table. A neutral third party mediator will direct the discussion and help keep it civil and productive. The mediator will not offer any legal advice so it is extremely important to enter the mediation process fully prepared and informed by a qualified divorce attorney.
Benefits of Mediation
As long as you are able to discuss your issues amicably with your ex and you are both open to reasonable compromise, mediation is almost certainly a better choice for you than litigation. Divorce mediation can provide:
- Faster resolution: Waiting for your divorce case to progress through the court system can be very frustrating. With divorce mediation, you can reach your divorce settlement on your time, without waiting for court dates.
- Lower costs: Preparing for litigation is very time-consuming, which means it can involve large attorney fees. By forgoing litigation and opting for mediation instead, you can reap considerable savings.
- Less conflict: Litigation typically encourages an adversarial mindset between spouses. This can color future interactions and make sharing child custody difficult, whereas mediation helps set the stage for future cooperation.
- Better compliance with agreements: Sometimes, when people have divorce agreements dictated to them by the court, they are very unhappy with the result and may be tempted not to comply with the agreements. Because mediation results in a solution that is acceptable to everyone, there is seldom any risk of anyone breaking the agreements.
- Support agreement perks: If you create your own child support or spousal support agreements in divorce mediation, you may be able to include perks that the court would not or could not order or enforce. One example might be stipulating which parent is going to pay for a child’s college tuition.
Remember, You Do Need an Attorney for Divorce Mediation
Before you begin divorce mediation, you need to know what your rights are and what kinds of stipulations you can reasonably expect to have included in your agreements. At the Law Office of Michael L. Fell, we have ample experience in all aspects of divorce agreements, including asset division, spousal support, child custody, and child support. As your divorce attorney, we can provide the honest and professional advice and information you need to properly advocate for yourself during your mediation.
Call Now to Learn More
If you would like to learn more about your divorce options, including divorce mediation, please contact us at (949) 585-9055 . We’ll be happy to set up a free initial consultation with our family law attorney, Michelle L. Tran.
