ADR Divorce Mediation Services

Any two people interested in decreasing the time, money and emotional energy spent in getting divorced are candidates for divorce mediation.

The benefits of family divorce mediation are enormous. The financial savings allow the assets to stay with the family members and children. Of equal importance are the savings in time, as a mediated settlement can be completed in one or two weeks, versus ten to twelve months for an attorney and trial situation. Finally there are great savings to be made in the area of the emotional costs, which cannot be measured.

The Cost

Our hourly fee applies to all time spent in meetings.  Unless otherwise indicated, we have a minimum of one two-hour meeting with both parties, and a one-hour review and signing follow-up session. This reflects our minimum $600 cost, plus the cost for document preparation.

With litigated divorces, costs can go sky high. Each party usually pays their own attorney a retainer of at least $2000, and fees go up from there based on time in consultation, research, telephone calls, letters, and court time. It is common for litigated divorces to cost between $10,000 to $30,000 for each party.

How Long Does Divorce Mediation Take?

Mediated divorces can be settled usually within several meetings over several days or weeks. Litigated divorce is a lengthy, time-consuming process which can drag on for months, or years. Financial and emotional costs are high for both parties.

What About The Children?

A divorce affects the whole family, often putting considerable strain on the children. The fear and depression associated with a divorce can be increased by a lengthy and combative courtroom battle. This has a negative impact on the children.

Experience has shown that children benefit greatly when their parents negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement. When Mom and Dad are seen to be comfortable with the separation agreement, especially custody and visitation rights, children are better able to adjust to the divorce.

Pay As You Go

In divorce mediations at our center, you pay for each mediation session at the time of the session. Then you pay for the preparation of court papers before the documents are prepared.

With this approach, parties can proceed with the divorce at the same pace as their finances allow. For example, after some parties have made all of their decisions, they decide to wait a month or two before having the Marital Settlement Agreement or court documents prepared.

Shared Cost

Usually, each party pays one-half of the cost of the mediation. However, there are also many cases in which one party agrees to pay all the cost, or a higher percentage than the other. In some cases, one party pays for the mediation as costs occur, then gets reimbursed in the final property division.

In litigated divorces, the cost is often driven by one party who can force deadlines for discovery and hearings on the other party. This drives the legal fees upwards.

The Emotional Cost

Much of the cost of litigated divorce is driven by one or both parties' fear or anger. This may be linked to the issues which caused the breakdown of the relationship. Mediation is much less expensive than taking the whole case to court because of the problems within the relationship.

Inexpensive To Try

Since divorce mediation is a pay-as-you-go process, there is little financial risk in attempting to use it. And since mediation is voluntary, either party can terminate mediation.  However, there is greater likelihood that you will finish in mediation if you start. In that case, you will have saved yourself and your family thousands of dollars.

Future Use of Mediation

Mediation can also address conflicts that occur after a divorce is final. In cases where a divorce was problematic, couples may find themselves seeking a modification to the settlement agreement. These conflicts may stem from disputes over visitation, child support, co-parenting plans, remarriage or potential relocation.