Even if your divorce seems to be contentious in nature, there are still benefits to avoiding litigation. If you’re going through a divorce, it’s probably because you and your spouse didn’t disagree on several key points. It’s entirely possible that choosing mediation is one of those points of contention. If you want to explore mediation but your spouse is resistant, be sure to point out some of these key benefits to the process.
It saves money
Litigation can become an expensive proposition. Long before there are any settlements and divorce decrees that result in a house being sold and bank accounts being split, the money associated with filing documents, hiring lawyers and paying court fees can turn into a major expense. It’s generally much cheaper for both parties to sit down with an unbiased mediator instead of taking your divorce case before a judge.
More customized parenting plan
If there are any children involved in your divorce, you know that their emotional and mental wellbeing is of the utmost importance. Instead of letting a judge who doesn’t know anything about your child’s needs have any say in your parenting plan, you and your spouse can work together with a mediator to create a totally customized parenting plan. This ensures that both of you get to be involved in your child’s life and that his or her needs are met.
It saves time
Many people fail to think about the time they will have to spend going to lawyers’ appointments and court dates if they choose divorce litigation instead of divorce mediation. It’s also worth noting that there’s no guarantee as to how fast a judge will even hear your divorce case depending on how full his or her docket is. Mediation generally takes much less time and moves at the pace that you and your former spouse set.
There are several more benefits to choosing divorce mediation, each of which your divorce lawyer can discuss with you. If you don’t want to spend an exorbitant amount of money, time and emotional stress appearing before a judge, divorce mediation is a viable option.
