Getting a Divorce Without Lawyers
Going through a divorce is usually expensive and painful. Everything you tell the court is a public record. Is there an alternative to hiring an attorney and going before a judge to work out a solution? You and your soon to be ex-spouse should consider mediation. Getting a divorce without lawyers involved is a very effective and less expensive method than a traditional divorce with attorneys on both sides. You and your spouse have a chance to resolve your situation based on your own needs, instead of having someone impose orders based on rigid legal principles.
How Does Mediation Work?
You and your spouse work with a trained professional mediator to resolve the issues between you in the divorce. Before you begin, you both will go over the rules and procedures that will be followed during the mediation. This includes:
- Full disclosure from both parties
- An atmosphere of mutual respect
- Working toward the best interests of the minor children
- Equitable resolution of all matters
You will each have an opportunity to give your point of view to the mediator, along with points that you are concerned about. This is so you can get the mediator current with your particular situation. Then, the professional mediator works with both of you to divide property and debts, work out spousal and if there are any minor children, child support, and develop a parenting plan. At the end, you have a legally binding settlement agreement that is submitted to the court with the other paperwork to finalize your divorce.
Why Is Mediation Effective?
Lawyers are very adversarial and often get caught up in their own ego and winning. Instead of each party trying to gain the upper hand, with mediation, you and your spouse decide everything and have control over the decisions that are made. In addition, getting a divorce without lawyers involved is likely to teach you better communication skills that you can use later on with your spouse as well as other people.
A mediator levels the playing field between divorcing and legally separating spouses. If both parties are open to negotiation and compromise, a mediator offers an opportunity to get a divorce quickly, inexpensively, and with as little stress as possible. Mediation is more cost effective than hiring lawyers. Paying one professional instead of two attorneys saves you money. Many mediation cases are settled in five to seven hours, and even less if children are not involved.
While a mediator has no authority to order either party to do anything, it makes no sense for someone to agree to mediation then stall the process. Don’t think that because you and your spouse are so far apart that a mediator won’t help. An unbiased third party can find workable solutions that you both may miss. Getting a divorce without lawyers is a viable solution for many people.
