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Will Divorce Mediation Save Me Money

Will Divorce Mediation Save Me Money?

  • Mediation

For divorcing couples, the cost of divorce often factors into when they will be able to complete their divorce and which method they choose for divorce. Many people wonder, will divorce mediation save me money? It is true, that in most cases the mediation process is a more affordable method for divorce.

It allows for easy negotiation between both parties, saving time and money. Your mediator will be able to provide legal advice to both parties and work to help you tackle the most serious divorce issues such as child custody, child support, property division, and more.

How Does Divorce Mediation Work?

In divorce mediation, spouses meet with a specially trained mediator to discuss and attempt to resolve the issues in their divorce. Divorce mediators are often lawyers, but it’s not a requirement: Some mediators are financial specialists (like CPAs), psychologists, social workers, or MFTs (marriage and family therapists). Mediation can occur in person or online.

Mediators don’t serve as an advocate for either spouse—they remain neutral throughout the mediation. Additionally, mediators don’t make decisions about the divorce. Instead, they use their knowledge, skill, and experience to help the couple reach a compromise they can live with.

At the end of a successful mediation, the spouses will have a marital settlement agreement that lays out their agreements about the issues in their divorce. A successful mediation doesn’t result in a divorce, though—the spouses still have to present the settlement agreement to the court to approve. Because the spouses have settled, they can file an “uncontested” divorce, meaning that the court needs to only approve the settlement agreement and issue a final divorce decree. Courts usually can resolve an uncontested divorce within a month or so—much faster than a contested divorce would be finalized.

What Factors Affect Total Mediation Costs?

  • The complexity of your case. If you and your spouse have worked out most issues in your divorce, you might turn to mediation to resolve one remaining sticking point. In that situation, you might very well reach an agreement in one session. In contrast, mediation will almost surely take longer when you have several issues to work out, such as what to do with the family home, how to divide other assets (like retirement plans or a family business), whether a spouse will provide support that’s not legally required (like contributing to a child’s college expenses), and difficult custody disputes (for instance, when one parent wants to move far away with the children).
  • The level of conflict. When one or both spouses aren’t able to set aside their residual anger, controlling behavior, or even emotional abuse during mediation, the process of reaching a settlement will always take longer—or may lead to a stalemate, which would mean the cost of mediation was essentially money down the drain. (That’s one reason divorce mediation is generally inappropriate when there is ongoing domestic abuse in a relationship.) In some cases involving a history of abusive or bullying behavior, the mediator may recommend meeting separately with each spouse, which could increase the cost (because that would take more of the mediator’s time.)
  • Willingness to engage in mediation. Even when a couple doesn’t have a high level of conflict, mediation might get bogged down if one spouse just isn’t ready, on an emotional level, to deal with the practical and financial issues related to the divorce. It can also take longer to reach an agreement if both spouses aren’t willing to come prepared for mediation and do their homework.

 

If you are unsure if divorce mediation will save you money, consider the factors mentioned above. You can also contact our law office to schedule a consultation with our team.

Affordable Family Lawyer Serving Houston, TX

Our team proudly serves the Greater Houston area, including but not limited to Brazos County, Cypress, Fort Bend County, Galveston, Houston Heights, Houston, Humble, Katy, Kingwood, Memorial Houston, Montgomery County, Montrose, Richmond, Rosenberg, Spring, The Woodlands. All marriages are different, making each divorce equally unique with its own set of needs that must be addressed. Contact our law office to explore your options moving forward, and find out how we can help you.

 

Renken Law Firm, PLLC
11500 Northwest Fwy #586
Houston, TX 77092
(713) 956-6767
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Renken Law Firm knows how difficult and painful dealing with these issues can be. We will take your case, and all the turmoil that comes with it, very seriously. You can trust us to not only be relentless in our pursuit of the best possible solution for you, but we will also take into consideration how much this process is both emotionally and financially impacting you. Renken Law Firm can be relentless, but you can always trust us to listen.

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Traditionally, mediation has been shown to be an excellent option for couples seeking an amicable divorce who ultimately have compatible goals for property settlements and custody disputes.Mediation promotes a compromise that works well for both parties, while making it possible to avoid court appearances and additional attorney’s fees.What is Divorce Mediation?Divorce mediation is a private process in which a neutral third person (a mediator) helps divorcing couples reach a mutually satisfactory settlement of the issues in their case, including child support, custody and visitation, alimony, and property division.A mediator does not act as a judge, arbitrator, or counselor, but assists the spouses in reaching a voluntary agreement.Along with her ability to aggressively litigate Family Law matters, Dawn Renken is a Licensed Mediator through ADR Services International Inc, since 2014. 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Since this time, Attorney Renken has been working as a Cypress divorce mediation expert with couples to help them work together to reach divorce agreements that are mutually beneficial for their long term needs.The role of the mediator is to simply ensure all important matters are discussed and dealt with, as well as ensure neither party is using bully tactics in order to get the other party to agree to the terms they desire for their divorce. Your divorce agreement is only finalized when both parties agree to the terms of the divorce and sign off on it. If you are unable to work together to reach an amicable divorce agreement, mediation will not be a viable method for divorce. If you and your spouse are actively looking to work through your divorce together, Renken Law Firm can help by offering affordable divorce mediation in Houston, TX.In addition to traditional divorce methods, we excel in providing the best divorce mediation services in Houston, TX. 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In times of personal crisis we understand that you want answers. As your legal counsel, this firm will provide you with answers and options. Additionally, we will guide you through what you can expect during the process and help you to understand your options and rights as mandated by Texas Law. Our knowledge and experience has provided us with a strong base of strategies and methods to assist you to reach a successful resolution. Once retained, we invite you to demand and expect your case to be handled in an organized, timely, effective and cost-efficient manner. Step 1: Consult Contact Renken Law Firm to schedule your no obligation one hour consultation to evaluate your case. Step 2: Prepare You’ve never been through this. We understand that. We are here for you. Step 3: Negotiate Whether informal negotiation or mediation, you can trust Renken Law Firm’s decades of experience. Step 4: Litigate When negotiation fails, Renken Law Firm is prepared to fight for you at trial with experienced litigators. Your family law case may be the most important legal issue you ever face in your life. It can also be the most emotionally and financially challenging life event you experience. Renken Law Firm knows how difficult and painful dealing with these issues can be. We will take your case, and all the turmoil that comes with it, very seriously. You can trust us to not only be relentless in our pursuit of the best possible solution for you, but we will also take into consideration how much this process is both emotionally and financially impacting you. Renken Law Firm can be relentless, but you can always trust us to listen. © 2023 The Renken Law Firm. All rights reserved. Our comprehensive family law services include the resolution of divorces through litigation, divorce mediation or collaborative law, depending on the specific details of your case. 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