The mediation process is all about compromise and cooperation. Parties who disagree on some significant matter can either have a direct meeting facilitated by a professional mediator or attend separate meetings with a mediator who will shuttle back and forth between parties and their attorneys.
Either arrangement can lead to relatively fast and highly-individualized solutions to disputes. It makes sense that businesses often go through mediation with their workers over contract disputes and that companies that disagree about their obligations to each other commonly rely on mediation to preserve their working relationships.
An increasing number of couples also turn to divorce mediation when trying to settle disagreements as part of a divorce. These are just some of the reasons why people choose mediation instead of litigating their divorce process.
They want privacy and control over costs
Litigated divorces can quickly become expensive and may cost several times what an uncontested divorce would. All of that time in the courtroom and the effort of the lawyers involved leads to major expenses. It can also mean exposing a lot of personal information in a very public setting.
Mediation can be much more cost-effective than litigation when it is successful. Although spouses will have to pay for the services of the mediator, the overall cost for the end of their marriage will drop because they don’t require much time in court. What they discuss in mediation will also remain confidential, which can be a powerful incentive to cooperate.
They may have to continue seeing each other
Sometimes, divorcing spouses run a business together and intend to continue doing so after marriage or they just work in the same industry and need to be civil with one another. Mediation is also valuable for those who will need to co-parent their children after divorce, as it is a great way to find a healthier dynamic after the end of a marriage.
Instead of ending everything on a bad note and feeling intensely angry at one another, couples may be able to cooperate and reach a solution that they find to be mutually acceptable. Uncontested divorces are often much less traumatic for everyone in the family and give people more control over the outcome of the process. Attending divorce mediation can be an effective means of pursuing an uncontested divorce. If you are interested in learning about whether this approach may work for you and your spouse, don’t hesitate to seek legal guidance.
