DIVORCE MEDIATION: BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS

· Expense – Compared to the full traditional divorce and family litigation process, including hearings and trials with experts and extensive preparation, divorce mediation can save money that can be better allocated for the benefit of the family. When everyone prepares for mediation and knows what they really want to achieve, it can be easier to reach an agreement outside of court.

· Anxiety – The anticipation of divorce litigation and the time it can take to reach a final resolution may lead some people to try to resolve their contested claims and allegations in divorce mediation. With less time to worry about your divorce, you may be better off writing the next chapter in your book of life.

· Goodwill – When you are going to be a co-parent, parallel parent or whatever brand of good parent you want to be, being polite and amicable during divorce mediation can help assure your soon to be former spouse that you care about your role as a parent and you will do everything in the best interests of the children.

· Encouragement – When you walk away from signing a mediated settlement agreement after successful divorce mediation you are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and responsibility. Especially moving forward when children are involved, you may understand that they watch how their parents react to challenges and being successful in mediation can show a good example to children.