When you’ve decided to divorce, chances are you don’t want to spend a pile of money to hire lawyers and fight out your divorce in court.

Therefore, you might look to divorce mediation to save time, money, and headaches.

The first thing to do, however, is to consult with one or more competent lawyers who focus only on divorce and family law.

In your consultation, make sure to find out if divorce mediation is the best way for you and your spouse to resolve all issues between you.  These might include child custody, parenting time, child support, payment of college expenses, alimony, and division of marital assets and debts.

Generally, divorce mediation works best for divorcing spouses who both:

1.          Want to preserve an amicable relationship between them for the sake of their children;

2.          Are able to respectfully communicate with one another and are willing to try to see the other’s perspective; and

3.          Are relatively familiar with the incomes, assets, and debts of the marriage.

It’s extremely difficult to make informed decisions if you don’t know how much your spouse earns or how much a significant marital asset is worth.

To find out how divorce mediation might cost more in the long run, read my earlier post here.

If divorce mediation is a good fit for you and your spouse, make sure to get references when consulting with a family law attorney.

It’s then a good idea to contact those divorce mediators and select the one you and your spouse feel most comfortable with.

For more information about divorce mediation or for a personalized consultation, please click here.