Services

Why Mediation?

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Many people have questions about mediation.  Mediation is a voluntary process where you meet, at your convenience, with a mediator to discuss the issues that must be resolved.  You are never forced into any agreement.  Consider these significant advantages of Mediation over Litigation:

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1. Savings in Legal Fees and Costs:   Divorces in the U.S. cost a staggering sum.  The average cost, PER SPOUSE, can be from $10,000.00 to $20,000.00 or more.    You may also be facing moving costs, purchasing new items like furnishings, all while losing the shared income of the other party.  Mediation costs average well below $5,000.00 total, for both parties combined.

2. Control of Your Life:  Most divorces can take from 9-12 months or up to two years to complete for complex cases.   With mediation, YOU control when you meet with the mediator and the settlement process.   YOU can avoid preparing for hearings that get postponed or waiting for the court to decide an issue of importance to YOU.

3. Reduce the Emotional Toll and Stress:  No one said it was easy.   But mediation allows both sides the opportunity to express their concerns and their needs and to negotiate a compromise.  It can make a painful and difficult process easier on you and your family.

 

Mediation is the better way.   Mediation saves you time and money, and most importantly puts you in control of the outcome of your case and what happens to you and your family.    Even if you try mediation and you do not settle all your issues, you will at least know what is in dispute when you go to court.

You have a choice.  You don’t have to trust someone you don’t know to decide where your children will live or when they will see each parent, or how your assets will be divided.  

“If we were getting along, we could settle it ourselves”.   Even high conflict cases can be resolved through mediation.  It will take some time and some work, but it can be done.  A skilled mediator can be the difference.  Susan’s years of legal experience make her uniquely qualified to help parties reach a settlement, even in the most complex situations.   Even if a full agreement is not reached, you will have valuable information about what the issues are that are truly in dispute.

“We have an agreement already”.  Perhaps you do, but usually, the details have not been addressed because you may not be familiar with everything required in the court documents.   By hiring a mediator, you can proceed with guidance as to all the issues that must be addressed so that your agreement will be approved by the court.