All couples go through problems in their relationships. If it turns out that your marriage or civil partnership is no longer working out too well, then you should take the next step and split up with your partner. No one should ever stay in an unhappy relationship.
However, a split can get a little complicated if you two are married or have children together. You’ll probably end up arguing over custody arrangements and how you will divide your assets between each other. These are issues that you’ll likely never agree upon without an intermediary.
Family mediation is a common practice in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and in most other developed countries in the world. It comes with a lot of advantages that divorce courts do not provide. So, you might want to consider using a family mediator first before taking your partner to court.
Below are the top 5 benefits of family mediation.
1) Saves You Money
Going to court is going to be expensive, no matter what the judge decides. Between the court costs and attorney fees, you’ll end up paying many thousands of dollars in expenses. It’ll probably be in the five-figure to six-figure range if there are a lot of assets to divide.
However, you won’t have to endure this burden if you go through a family mediator. They charge far less money than the $400+ per hour that an attorney will charge. If you can come to an agreement with the help of the mediator, then you and your partner can avoid courtrooms altogether.
In addition, you don’t want to risk going to court and having the judge award most of your assets to your partner. Mediators are all about being fair, and they will attempt to convince your partner to be fair with the assets too.
2) Positive Outcome
The longer and more drawn out your legal battle gets, the more resentment that will exist between you and your partner. Family mediation, on the other hand, helps ease the resentments that partners feel toward each other so that they don’t feel compelled to get nasty and go to court. The mediator gives each partner the opportunity to suggest a creative solution to the issue at hand, whether it concerns the custody of children or dividing property.
3) Expedite the Split
When you’re confident that you want to split from your partner and get a divorce, you’ll likely want the process to go as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this cannot happen if you both disagree on the terms of the split. Legal battles in court can take years in some cases.
If you want to expedite the split, then a family mediator can settle your dispute much faster. Sometimes it only takes a week and other times it takes a few months. But it certainly won’t take years if you and your partner actively attend family mediation sessions.
4) Discretion
Think of family mediation like a couple’s therapy session. Everything you say to the therapist is kept in strict confidence. That means it does not leave their office after you tell it to them. The therapist agrees not to tell anyone what you said to them.
Family mediators have very similar rules. The conversations you have with your mediator is kept confidential. They will not tell anyone or publish any information about your sessions.
The same cannot be said for a courtroom proceeding because all court cases are a matter of public record. If you would rather avoid having the details of your divorce case made public, then you should avoid a divorce case in court at all costs.
5) More Control and Freedom
Since a family mediator is not a lawyer or government official, you are not bound to any type of legal agreement where they’re concerned. You and your partner have the freedom to control the way in which you arrange child custody and divide up your assets.
The most difficult thing is coming to an agreement on those issues, but that’s what the family mediation service is for. They will help you make those decisions. Judges are so unpredictable in their rulings, and enforce more restrictions onto the parties. That is why it is best to avoid court proceedings in order to gain more freedom.
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