Nicer, quicker, cheaper

The main advantages of mediation, for those who may be unfamiliar with the process, are that it is nicer, quicker, and cheaper than a litigated divorce or even most lawyer-facilitated divorces. Mediation with a law-trained mediator, however, provides many of the benefits of having a lawyer with far less cost.

Mediation results in an agreement with which both spouses comply 90% of the time. It is not unusual to have spouses sharing a couch in mediation. I call those people "couch sharers." When a mediation includes couch sharers, there is a tone of civility that would never be present in a lawyer's office, which probably doesn't even have a couch.

Mediation also takes far less time than the typical mediated divorce. It is typical for me to complete a mediation in under two weeks, or two months at the very longest. Often, they are completed within a month. From mediation, the parties can take their mediation report directly to the courthouse, where it will be filed with the court and become a binding order.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of mediation is its low cost. Our fees are $1900 for a standard process from start to finish, and $2900 for a somewhat more comprehensive process that some people need but most do not. Either of these fees is less than 1/4 of what even an initial retainer would be (combined for two attorneys, each representing one spouse). And they call it an initial retainer for a reason; it almost always gets used up and needs to be replenished with -- you guessed it -- more of your money. Mediation keeps money where it belongs, in your family.