Is Mediation Cost Effective?
When potential clients come to me and want to know more about mediation, they often ask if this process is cheaper than a litigated divorce. The answer here is yes, generally. The reason for this is because you can avoid court fees and you really don’t even need to have an attorney. This saves both of you money because you are only paying for the one mediation professional as opposed to two attorneys. You don’t need to call in any experts and you won’t need a large team behind you that will defend you in court. Another factor in determining the cost of a divorce is how long the divorce takes. Mediations that take longer than others are typically more expensive. If you come in for mediation with a level of understanding between you and your spouse about factors such as child custody and the division of marital assets, the process may be quicker than a couple who has never discussed these factors. In addition, it helps if you and your spouse can be cordial towards each other during this time because while divorce is an emotional process, it always goes quicker when both parties can sit in a room together without arguing.
Another factor that contributes to the amount of time that a mediation will take sometimes depends on the length of the marriage. If your marriage lasted 20 years, it is likely that you will have accumulated more marital property than a couple whose marriage only lasted 5 years. This might mean that you have more assets to divide because you were together for a long time. If you don’t have any children together, this eliminates an entire portion of the mediation process because you will not have to determine matters of child custody and support.
Judith Goldberg is a compassionate and effective Boca Raton, Florida mediator serving Palm Beach and Broward County. If you need a compassionate mediator to guide you through your family law matter, contact our Boca Raton office for a free consultation.