Mediation: Keeping Divorce Sane in the New Year

If you’re like most couples that contact us during this time of year about divorce mediation, you are likely ready to take the next step towards peacefully ending your marriage.  No doubt you’ve spent a better part of the previous year as well as the recent holiday season contemplating if divorce is right for you.  And while that is only a questions you can answer, we at Equitable Mediation Services can help you answer many of the other questions that surround the issue of divorce and divorce mediation in New Jersey.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll take some time to outline what we feel are some of the main benefits of divorce mediation as well as focus in on a specific topic that we feel is important for you to understand should you decide to engage our services. Let’s begin with how divorce mediation differs from litigation and how mediation can make your divorce more sane.

When you think about hiring a lawyer, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  If you’re like me, it’s “I want someone to defend me because someone / something has done me wrong.” Yes, attorneys play a valuable role in our society but in my opinion, not for divorce.  Injured while in a store or in a car accident?  Ripped off by a company through fraudulent practices or an inferior product?  All great reasons to hire an attorney.  But the sad fact is, many people don’t understand that when it comes to divorce, the law is the law and no attorney is going to be able to create magic for you and get you something the law doesn’t provide for.  Just ask the McGreevy’s.And, even if you don’t want to be married to your spouse anymore, I think (well I hope) you don’t view them as an evil corporation that you want to drag through a long and protracted legal battle to drain them of every possible financial resource they posses.

if you do, please feel free to navigate away from this blog as I can tell you mediation is NOT for you.

Hiring an attorney creates an immediately adversarial process.  It’s you against them, my attorney can beat up your attorney, etc.  Is this any way to keep your divorce sane?  Absolutely not.  That’s where mediation comes in.  With divorce mediation, there is no us against them.  It’s both of us working together to come to an agreement that we both want, both can agree to and both can live with.  And when children are involved, one that best suits them as well.  As your NJ divorce mediator, I am working with both of you and not against one of you to come to an agreement that works for everyone.  As a neutral third party, I am specifically trained to help you work through your differences while helping you understand the law that surrounds the issues we discuss:

1. Parenting Plans
2. Equitable Distribution of Marital Assets and Liabilities
3. Child Support
4. Spousal Support  / Alimony

Keeping the peace during the process as we progress through the four main areas of divorce.  And yes, while there will undoubtedly be times when things get heated, rather than fanning the flames, we’ll talk through them and resolve the issues in an efficient manner, saving you time, stress and money in the process.  If this sounds reasonable to you, then mediation IS for you.

Please feel free to contact us at Equitable Mediation Services for a free consultation to learn how divorce mediation can help you.  We’ll go over in detail the divorce mediation process, benefits of mediation and answer any questions you may have regarding divorce or mediation in general.  Please visit our locations page on our website to find an office closest to you.