Legal Assistant
Greater Philadelphia area
Divorce mediators offer couples an alternative to the traditional divorce court system.
Usually, the divorce mediation process is considerably more amicable and less contentious than working through the courts.
With divorce mediation, both parties sit down with a divorce mediator and discuss important issues that usually make court proceedings painful, prolonged, and expensive—like child custody, property division, or child support.
Essentially, mediators help couples settle their divorce outside of court. After all the issues are resolved, the mediator will draft a divorce settlement that gets sent to the court.
This post will break down the benefits of divorce mediation. Let’s dig in.
What Are The Benefits of Divorce Mediation?
Divorce Mediation Helps You Better Navigate The Issues
Divorce mediation can help you settle critical unresolved issues that have impactful financial and familial consequences that can draw out court proceedings and wrack up expenses. A divorce mediator helps both you and your partner take these issues head-on so that when the time comes for the actual divorce, there are no hang-ups or unresolved conflicts that will prolong the experience.
Essentially, divorce mediators help walk divorcees-to-be through the issues before resorting to court. Their services come in handy if you and your partner share many assets or care for a child who has special needs.
Divorce Mediation Gives You More Control Over the Process
In divorce court, the judge has the final say over who gets child custody, who keeps the house, and who gets the car. It’s not to say that judges don’t care about the cases under their jurisdiction, but when their caseload is high, it’s hard for them to give each case the individual care and attention that people seeking divorce deserve.
Nobody knows your situation better than you and your soon-to-be-ex. If possible, you both should determine the fate of the kids and your assets. Divorce mediators help you and your partner settle on your terms.
Divorce Mediation Helps You Settle Faster
If you can resolve your issues before heading to court, you are saving yourself months of drawn-out, contentious court battles with your ex. The courts already move at the speed of molasses on a cold day. If your issues are ironed out before a judge is even appointed, you are drastically increasing the speed at which your case will settle.
Divorce Mediation Saves (Considerable) Money
Needing a divorce attorney to represent you in divorce court causes your expenses to grow exponentially. This is especially true if you have many issues to settle with your ex. By hiring a divorce mediator, you and your spouse agree to split the cost of the service, which is far less expensive than fronting the entire bill of a divorce attorney for several months.
Some mediators allow divorce mediation lawyers to be present to represent each member of the couple, but this is usually discouraged and adds to the expense of the whole process.
When Is Divorce Mediation Not the Best Choice?
Divorce mediation is a valuable service, but it isn’t always the best choice. Divorce mediation doesn’t work well for couples whose relationship dynamics are strongly unequal. You can’t effectively mediate when both parties are not on equal footing.
Divorce mediation is also more expensive than DIY divorce services. However, with DIY divorce services, you are entirely on your own.
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About Veronica Baxter
Veronica Baxter is a legal assistant operating out of the greater Philadelphia area. She frequently works with the Schwartz Law Firm, leeaschwartz.com, a team of dedicated divorce and family law attorneys based in Philadelphia.