There is no denying that going through a divorce can be extremely stressful, even when the soon-to-be ex-spouses are somewhat civil about the legal process. After all, no one gets married thinking that it will end in divorce. But, statistically, we all know that quite a few marriages do end that way. If any of our readers in California are getting ready to go through a divorce, they may be looking for options to make the process go as smoothly as possible. For many couples, mediation may be an option.
What is mediation?
Mediation is an alternative way of resolving legal disputes. Contrary to what may be popular belief, not all legal cases end up in front of a jury, or even with a judge deciding on the major issues. The fact is that most legal cases are settled out of court. This can be achieved through traditional legal negotiation, or with the help of alternative dispute resolution techniques such as mediation.
During mediation, a neutral third-party – the “mediator” – will go back-and-forth between the divorcing spouses, attempting to work through issues and find solutions that are mutually acceptable to all involved. This process typically does not happen in a courtroom or even in the courthouse – oftentimes it occurs in conference rooms at the mediator’s office. For those who are especially intimidated by appearing in court, the benefits of mediation are obvious. It can help save time and money too.
However, mediation isn’t for everyone. Sometimes there has to be at least some goodwill remaining between the parties to come up with effective solutions. For more information about how we attempt to help California residents with their divorce issues to see if mediation is an option, please visit the divorce and mediation section of our website.
