Divorce mediation is a type of conflict resolution for divorcing couples where a trained divorce mediator, usually an attorney, helps guide a couple through their disagreements by keeping them on track to a solution rather than rehashing old issues. By using divorce mediation you can save money over a litigious divorce. Divorce mediation can be part of a cooperative or collaborative divorce process where the couple wants to stay out of litigation.
There are some things to keep in mind about divorce mediation:
It won’t work if you don’t want it to.
It’s not for everyone.
If you and your spouse genuinely want to get through your divorce without an all out war, but only disagree on a couple of items regarding the settlement and you’re both willing to discuss the pros and cons of your choices rationally and intelligently then mediation may work for you. But, if you don’t want it to work and are insistent on going to court to get your day in court — well, mediation will not work for you.
If you cannot accept that your spouse has a right to see things differently from you, then mediation is probably not for you. But, if you can get your brain (and heart) to accept that your spouse, no matter what they’ve done outside of true abuse (with a police record) has a right to their own opinions and life after divorce, then you might want to give divorce mediation a try. But, it won’t save you money if you don’t come to an agreement and still wind up in litigation anyway.
To ensure that mediation works for you trust that your attorney knows how divorces are usually decided by the judge on your case. There is a good reason why most divorces settle outside of court, and that is because smart people do not want a judge who knows nothing about them to decide their case. They know that judges only hear a few minutes of very important evidence, and they’re not going to hand your spouse their rear-end on a platter. It’s just not going to happen.
So, if you want to save money on your divorce choose a DuPage County Divorce Mediator and go into the mediation with a true intent of reaching a viable agreement.