When choosing to start the process of divorce you have options. You can choose Litigation, where the lawyer you hire will have almost complete control of the divorce process. Or you can choose Mediation, where you are in the driver seat and keep control of the process. Here is a little check list of the top 10 reasons why Mediation should be your first option.
1. It costs less- financially and emotionally.
2. It’s more dignified and private than litigation.
3. You still get the advice of your attorney before you obligate yourself to an agreement.
4. You are directly part of the discussion and decision-making over what your financial obligations will be, and what your access with your children will be, so you’ll understand why things are as they are in your agreement.
5. It’s a quicker process than litigation.
6. It doesn’t require you and your children to share the details of your lives with strangers, one of whom may be asked to tell you how much time you will be allowed to spend with your children and how much money you’ll have to live on after divorce.
7. You are most likely buying yourself a better working relationship with your ex-spouse in the future that you both know is possible because you worked through the mediation to create your property settlement and parenting agreement.
8. You avoid ever having to step foot in a court room from beginning to end of the mediation and subsequent divorce proceeding, which also means you’ve probably not lost any time from your employment while going through the entire process.
9. Because you’ve created your own agreement, you will probably not find yourself in court on a violation petition in the future as people are more apt to abide by the terms of an agreement they’ve negotiated as opposed to an order that was imposed on them.
10. You can take the money you’ve saved on court costs and use it for you and your children as you start a new chapter in your lives.
If this isn’t enough to convince you that Mediation is the way to go, head to my website www.christinashine.com to learn more. If you are ready to start the next chapter of your life, remember to call Christina Lana Shine!
Please feel free to leave a comment on LinkedIn with any topics you may want to learn more about. If there is a part of the process that you don’t understand, or have heard conflicting information from friends and family, let me know and your question may make it into a future post.