One of the truer things you are likely to be told as you embark on your divorce journey is that the only ones who get rich are the divorce attorneys. Anybody who has been through a bitter divorce is likely to have stories of the day that they realized that every time they called their attorney with a complaint or question, they were being billed for their lawyer’s time, and those billable hours can really add up – especially when there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Not only is divorce litigation expensive, the adversarial nature of a prolonged court battle can do serious damage to your ability to get along with your soon-to-be-ex spouse in the future, and that is a real problem when there are children involved. Divorcing couples who are interested in minimizing the negative impact of their split are well-advised to consider a process known as divorce mediation.

Divorced mediation can save you (both) some money, but it can also do far more than that. It is a process in which the two of you make a determination about what is best for both of you and your children if you have any by working with a neutral third party known as a mediator. The mediator will provide you with a way to resolve issues in a more amicable way that pursuing each other in court. The process is not hampered by court schedules and processes. Instead, it methodically addresses each of the important issues that needs to be settled in an efficient, non-threatening way.

A divorce proceeding is the dissolution of a legal contract. The simplest cases are those where there are no children and no assets that need to be divided. But when a married couple has children and has accumulated property such as a home or bank accounts, things get more complicated and the determination of who gets what, who owes what, and who gets how much time with the children can become very emotional. Working with a mediator takes a great deal of the stress out of the process. A mediator will assist embattled couples in communicating openly, provide suggestions for resolving issues, and work to help each find empathy for the other’s position. A mediator will still maintain the legality of the process while remaining neutral.

If mediation sounds like an appealing option, it is important for you to understand that the mediator will not provide you with legal advice. In order to understand your rights, you should still consult with an experienced divorce attorney. At Reinherz Law, we can provide you with the guidelines and basics of what you can expect and the information as to what you are entitled to so that you can enter the process with a sense of control and a strong base of information to ensure that you are negotiating from a position of strength. To learn more about the divorce mediation process and hear how we can help, call our office today to set up a consultation.