It can be very difficult to plan for the future at the beginning stages of a divorce. You may have very intense emotions, and your spouse may too. If the two of you let your emotions determine what steps you take, your feelings will likely make your divorce much messier than it would otherwise be.
One of the tools that modern married couples use when preparing for divorce is professional mediation. There are multiple reasons that people decide to bring in a mediator during their divorce. What are some of the most common reasons people decide that mediation would be better than an adversarial divorce?
-
They share children
Divorce will end your marital relationship but not the bond that you have with your children. In all but the rarest of circumstances, parents can anticipate sharing custody following a divorce. The more damage you do to your relationship now, the harder it will be for the two of you to co-parent effectively later.
Additionally, litigated divorce proceedings can be traumatic for children. The more fighting they witness between their parents, the more likely they are to have a hard time adjusting to the new family circumstances. Mediation keeps your kids out of court and helps minimize the overall degree of conflict.
-
They have high-value assets
Do you have a home, a vacation home and a 401(k)? Maybe you and your spouse started a family business that has become relatively successful. When couples have very valuable marital property, divorce litigation can easily become quite contentious and may result in an order that meets the needs of neither spouse.
They may choose mediation so that they determine how to divide those assets instead of relying on a judge to divide their property. The more specific your goals or needs are regarding asset division in your divorce, the more valuable it may be for the two of you to attend mediation together and determine your own settlement.
-
They want to protect their privacy
Do you need to discuss drug addiction when negotiating child custody or adultery when dividing your property? You may not want the details of marital misconduct to be part of the public record. Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen if you bring those issues up in family court. Going through mediation allows you to talk about those difficult matters without airing your grievances in open court.
Exploring alternative means of reaching a divorce settlement can help those preparing for the end of their marriages.
