One of the biggest issues with getting a divorce is the amount of time the process requires and the potential for major expenses along the way. If you and your spouse don’t agree to terms regarding serious issues likes child custody and how to divide your assets, it could lead to a contentious, drawn-out divorce in court. However, it’s important to realize that isn’t your only option.
For many couples, mediation offers a great alternative to a combative divorce in the courts. Choosing mediation is sometimes much faster and more affordable than a court-based divorce. More importantly, you could reap many benefits from mediation, including more control over the final terms of your divorce and less stress and damage to any children from your marriage.
How does mediation work in a divorce?
All too often, people take an unnecessarily adversarial approach to divorcing, determined to win and to make their spouse lose. When this happens, both spouses and the children in their family could suffer the consequences. Not only could it add stress to an already unpleasant process, but it could create the potential for serious financial issues as the process drags on through the courts.
Mediation can have the potential to make the process much easier. Both you and your spouse can retain your own attorneys to ensure a fair outcome. All of you then sit down with a neutral third-party mediator, who helps facilitate discussion about the issues you need to resolve. From who gets the house to dividing up holiday visitation with the children, mediation may be able to help you set mutually agreeable terms to the major issues in your pending divorce.
For some people, the thought of sitting in a small room with their ex is just too much. In cases with severe acrimony between spouses, each party may remain separate from the other, with the mediator moving back and forth between them to broker an agreement.
Mediation empowers divorcing spouses to compromise
Mediation can sometimes prove very helpful in finding solutions to issues divorcing individuals can’t seem to agree on. For example, if you can’t seem to reach an agreement with your ex about how to divide your assets, mediation might help you find a compromise that works for both of you. There may be certain assets or terms that are more important to you than others.
In mediation, you have the ability to negotiate for these specific wishes. When the courts make the decisions for you, you will have very little control over the actual outcome of the divorce. Not only will both spouses have the right to push for what they value most, they will also hopefully learn how to cope with interacting with one another again. That could set the stage for a healthier co-parenting relationship in the future.