Your divorce is likely one of the most difficult events that you must endure in your lifetime. But you may make the circumstances easier for you and your family if you consider an alternative divorce method, such as mediation. Though, you must be wary, as mediation is not the best fit for every couple. Read on to discover when divorce mediation is appropriate and how a seasoned Bergen County divorce attorney at McNerney & McAuliffe can point you in the right direction.
What are the benefits of divorce mediation?
First of all, mediation is an alternative divorce method in which you and your spouse may engage in constructive communication to reach a fair agreement on all your divorce-related terms (i.e., alimony, child support, child custody, property division, etc). Notably, you and your spouse will conduct these conversations in the presence of a neutral third party, otherwise known as a mediator. Just some of the benefits that come with divorce mediation are as follows:
- This alternative divorce method allows you and your spouse to go without being at the mercy of the court and its schedule.
- This alternative divorce method allows you and your spouse to start, pause, and finalize this process on your own accord.
- This alternative divorce method allows you and your spouse to go without extensive legal fees and court fees.
- This alternative divorce method allows you and your spouse to keep your matters confidential.
That said, other alternative divorce methods that come with similar benefits are as follows:
- A collaborative divorce.
- Arbitration.
- An early settlement panel.
Under what circumstances is divorce mediation appropriate?
Put simply, divorce mediation may only be beneficial to you and your spouse if it fits your situation. So, before following through with mediation, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Has my spouse ever hidden assets from me throughout our marriage?
- Have my spouse and I struggled to fairly negotiate throughout our marriage?
- Have my spouse and I ever had an imbalance of power throughout our marriage?
- Has my spouse expressed their unwillingness to negotiate on a certain divorce-related term at hand?
- Have my spouse and I struggled to remain amicable since my decision to file for divorce?
- Do my grounds for filing for divorce pertain to a domestic violence incident with my spouse?
- Do my grounds for filing for divorce pertain to a substance abuse issue with my spouse?
If the answer to any of the above questions is “yes,” then you may want to start looking at other options. But if divorce mediation is something that you wish to kickstart today, then retain the services of a competent Bergen County family law attorney from McNerney & McAuliffe. We await sitting down with you at your initial consultation.
