You feel your marriage has reached its end and you are not sure where to go from here. There seems to be a lot of discussion in the media these days about divorce, the high cost of litigation and alternate processes for ending a marital relationship.
Keeping your divorce out of court by mediating has many benefits including lower costs, quicker resolution, and better post-divorce relationships. Along with mediation, Collaborative Process and uncontested divorce can be less costly, both financially and emotionally. These options also provide support so that parties can maintain a friendly, respectful post-divorce relationship and, if they have children, co-parent together effectively.
Not all couples, however, are good candidates for mediation. Some of the necessary traits for parties to be successful are:
- Both of you are ready to end the marital relationship. This is important because if one person does not want the divorce, there are ways that they can prolong the process.
- You can communicate with each other in a calm and respectful manner.
- You can cooperate and compromise. Disagreement is fine. Your mediator can guide you through productive conversations to reach agreements.
- You can commit to honest, straightforward communication. Since the mediation process takes place outside of the court system, each party must commit to open and honest sharing of information. This is especially important when it comes to finances. Each person must make full disclosure by providing all information necessary so both people can make an educated and well-informed decision for the future.
- If you have children, you and your spouse are willing to put their best interests ahead of your own.
If you think you are a good candidate for divorce mediation, please contact us to talk more about your situation.
