Getting divorced can be an expensive undertaking once you get lawyers involved. Lawyers charge top dollar per hour for their services. By the time your case is finished, you may end up paying thousands of dollars in legal fees. Mediators charge less money than attorneys and can be assigned to you on a case by case basis. They also speed up the process of the case going through the court system.
Mediators generally are not available for cases that involve minor children or custodial issues. These types of cases are often more contentious in nature and can take months or even years to settle. The state in which you file most likely will not allow you to use a mediator if you have children under the age of 18 for which you must decide issues like custody and child support.
Mediators typically cannot by law determine who gets the kids or who is entitled to child support. The family court and a family court judge has to be the one to issue a formal decree on this type of case. The lack of a decree means that any agreement reached during the mediator meeting is not necessarily legally binding and does not have to be observed by either party.
A mediator can, however, settle issues like spousal support in many states. As long as both parties agree that one is entitled to support, they can have the mediator determine the amount and for how long it must be paid. The arrangement will be formalized by the judge who will sign off on the work that a mediator undertakes on behalf of the court.
When you file your case, you might have to wait to have a mediator assigned to you. They are only available on a limited basis and can only handle so many cases at a time. However, once assigned to you, he or she will remain involved in the situation until you and the other person reach an agreement you can both live with for the remainder of your lives. This agreement may be reached through a series of meetings.
By law, you are entitled to hire a lawyer at any time. However, you may not choose to do so because of the expense involved. Many attorneys charge hundreds of dollars per hour for their services. When you are trying to get through the situation on a budget and without spending too much, you may instead prefer to hire a mediator rather than an attorney.
Getting a divorce can be faster and easier when you use mediation rather than attorneys for your case. This suggestion can help you as long as you do not have minor children to take into consideration or a lot of assets to divide up with the other person. You typically can get the results you want faster.
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