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So many people view a court proceeding through the lens of television shows. Shows like Law and Order and Ally McBeal are interesting and perhaps fun, but in fact distort the process as it applies to the people who are the clients in the shows. And, television never shows the impact a court proceeding has on children, which can be anxiety inducing all the way to traumatic.

So, what do you do when you must get a divorce but you don’t want war with your spouse even if you feel some hatred toward that person? Do you realize there are alternatives to court and litigation for a divorce? That alternative is called mediation, where both spouses can sit down with a neutral attorney with the knowledge of the legal issues that must be agreed upon and resolved.

If that sounds a little too kum-ba-yah for you when you feel hate or angst toward your spouse, consider the benefits of mediation. Here are just some of the benefits:

1. The greatest benefit is creativity. A court must apply standard provisions in divorce cases because of the volume of cases that arise. It’s a matter of the economics of time. They simply cannot tailor make every divorce decree. But, in mediation, you can and do tailor make your divorce for your individual situation. It is written from start to finish with no other family than yours in mind.
2. The cost is much less. The cost of my mediations average from $400.00 to $1,600.00. The costs of a standard divorce average from $8,000.00 to $15,000.00. Obviously, there is a huge price difference.
3. The timing is better. You can mediate through our office and leave the mediation with a packet to file with the court. After the mandatory thirty day waiting period, you are divorced. If you are living under the same roof, that can be a life saver. The time to get a divorce in the court system can range from six months to years in the worst case scenarios. Even if you are living separately, the amount of time waiting for a resolution can exact a high toll on your emotional and even physical health.
4. It is better for your children. Most importantly for many of you, is the impact the process will have on your children. Even if neither parent talks to the children about the divorce, they can still sense the strain. They are emotional beings just as you are an emotional being. And, one impact of being an emotional being is the interplay between the emotions of family members. If you are stressed, angry, hurt, confused, sad and a wealth of other emotions that come from getting a divorce, you can be guaranteed your children are experiencing at least some of that. Alleviating the amount of time it takes to divorce, agreeing on creative solutions that are tailor made for your children and decreasing the cost benefits everyone, especially your children.

If you are interested in mediating your divorce, contact our office at 256-288-0704 for a mediation consultation. I look forward to working with you and helping you find the right solution for you.