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Divorce mediation focuses on agreement and lessens conflict. Thanks to mediation, divorcing couples easily save tens of thousands of dollars.
Conflict is expensive. Regardless of the nature of the dispute, conflict is expensive.
Divorce is no exception. Couples choosing the traditional route of a litigated divorce easily spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees before they ever even get to divorce court. Choosing mediation versus litigation – even choosing mediation versus just living with the conflict – greatly lessens the costs. Even high-conflict cases can experience substantial savings by choosing to mediate a resolution versus ignoring or litigating the issue.
Actual Money/Financial Costs
The financial costs of conflict can be remarkably high. It is often accepted that a litigated divorce will cost a couple a significant portion – if not a majority – of their joint assets. Certainly it can threaten college funds and home equity. Most litigating couples in larger metropolitan areas (not just in Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York) should expect to spend well over $60,000 in a typical divorce action. In addition the litigation process can easily trigger increased conflict, resulting in increased future costs as well. Those couples who choose to divorce mediation instead – even those couples in significant conflict – are generally able to reach complete resolution through CFR for less than $3000 total. Other family conflicts, such as child custody disputes, experience similar cost savings as well.
Time Cost Savings
Litigation, as a means of conflict resolution, is typically a protracted process that seems to define the term “snails pace” even in a divorce. A litigated divorce, even when the couple is as cooperative as possible, lasts an average of 18 months. Meanwhile the couple and family is stuck, unable to move forward in their lives. On the other hand mediating the divorce or other family conflict, is an efficient means of addressing the issues. Participants are in control of the time-line, not the courts. Efforts are spent on targeted resolution not arguing. What can take months, or even years, in litigation is completely resolved within hours or weeks.
Productivity Cost Savings
Although divorce typically occurs outside of the workplace, conflict experienced on the job or off, impacts personal productivity. Work or other important events may be missed due to meetings with attorneys or court dates. Distraction from stress and worry can result in decreased attention and abilities at work or school. Unfortunately productivity costs can have long lasting effects and infect co-workers as well. Mediation results in an efficient and effective resolution with minimal impact on productivity.
Emotional Cost Savings
Divorce is generally recognized as one of the top 5 life stressors; right up there with a life-threatening illness. Conflict in general is stressful, divorce often is a life altering experience that threatens basic feelings of control resulting in high emotional costs. Divorce litigation often adds to the emotional costs – attorneys and the process itself becomes an additional source of stress and worry. The conflict and emotional costs are expanded. However, through divorce mediation the opposite happens. The emotional costs of the divorce or other conflict are mitigated: focus is placed on agreements (no matter how small) and improving the emotional condition everyone involved. Divorce mediation, both the process and the resulting agreement, reduces the emotional costs of the conflict.
Health Cost Savings
Resolving conflict through litigation or ignoring it all together is generally very stressful for those in dispute. So often the conflict seems to grow, despite the intentions of the parties involved – divorce is no exception. The increase in stress is problematic, as it can negatively impact an individual’s health and quality of life. Those already at risk due to existing medical issues – such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, and even cancer may find that the stress experienced as a result of a litigated divorce, may have far more consequences than simply how the courts resolve the issues. Divorce mediation not only reduces the stress experienced in the resolution process, but also reduces stress experienced in future interactions and conflicts.
All divorce options options are not the same. Divorce mediation makes sense. It gives those who are directly impacted by the decisions the power to actually make the them. The savings from divorce mediation include tangible monetary savings and other benefits.
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Additional Reading
- 15 Articles: Introduction to Divorce Mediation
- Couples Splitting Should Try Mediation First
- How Long Does Divorce Mediation Take?
- The Problem With Litigation
- CFR Divorce Mediation Services
- Our Office Locations
- Divorce Mediation When There Are Children Involved
- Preparing To Win
- Divorce Attorneys: How Do They Do It?
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Tags: costs, emotions, health, Litigation, Mediation, savings, stress, time, why mediate
