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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 (more…)
Of all personal injury type cases, medical malpractice cases can be the most expensive and time consuming to take to trial. The litigation process in medical malpractice matters call for extensive record review and the opinions and testimony of expensive medical experts. In an effort to bring a speedier and more cost-effective resolution to medical malpractice claims, Connecticut has passed a statute requiring that all medical malpractice cases be referred to a 120 day mediation period.
Under Connecticut’s program, the presiding judge in a medical malpractice matter would conduct the first mediation. If the case failed to be resolved at this initial session, the parties could then agree to continue the mediation process. The stated purpose for Connecticut’s programs is to achieve a prompt settlement or resolution of the civil action.
Connecticut’s push for mediation of medical malpractice claims is a concept that can be applied everywhere. The goal of mediation in general is to provide parties with a forum to move ahead with prompt and amicable settlement of their disputes; without incurring the deep expense traditional litigation tends to generate.
Instead of the protracted journey that a medical malpractice claim can be, complete with lengthy and expensive depositions of expert witnesses, and extensive document review, consider mediation up front. Bringing all the parties to the table, with the assistance of a neutral mediator, can result in a swift outcome. Once the parties become engaged in a discussion of the bare facts of their dispute, a solution often becomes clear. Reaching this point at the beginning of a dispute, rather than waiting until the drawn-out litigation process has begun, can result in the parties resolving the claim with a result everyone involved can feel positive about and with a substantial cost savings.
Once of the largest downfalls in taking disputes to court and litigating them in the traditional fashion is the high cost associated with the process. All too often, parties feel the doors of justice are simply not open to them due to cost strictures. Be they neighbors who require assistance with a property boundary dispute, a divorcing couple with a tight budget, or a small business struggling to get by, the expense of a legal solution should never prohibit the service of justice. Mediation offers just such a cost-effective solution and can bring about a resolution to parties’ conflicts in an efficient and equitable manner.
Simply put, the cost of litigation is exponentially higher that the cost of mediation. For example, Susan Zuckerman in the May-July 2007 edition of the Dispute Resolution Journal presented a construction litigation hypothetical to a panel of experts. Based on their review, litigation of the matter would cost a whopping 50% more than mediation of the same dispute.
In a 2005 report by the American Intellectual Property Law Association, they revealed the average cost of patent litigation ran $2,000,000, trademark litigation ran $700,000, and copyright litigation ran $440,000. These costs are attributable to the adversarial proceedings of a traditional lawsuit. Each attorney involved is creating and responding to documents and a high billing rate, usually for years. Compared to mediation, where parties can come to the table and work with each other to resolve their conflict, it is clear to see where the ultimate savings come from.
Divorce is a type of conflict that is perfectly suited for mediation. The cost of a traditional litigated divorce runs anywhere from $8,200 – $60,000 with an average cost of $20,000 per spouse. This cost can be exacerbated by the adversarial system where parties may move apart merely to “win” rather than work together to a resolution. The high cost of divorce litigation can ultimately threaten the financial security of both parties that will, in the end, leave them in dire financial straits rather than leave them with a workable solution created and agreed to by the parties themselves.
Money is not the only “cost” associated with litigation. Time is also a large factor. The litigation trajectory includes much more time for paperwork, discovery, writing and responding to motions, depositions, and the overburdened schedule of the courts. Mediation facilitates the parties working toward a workable solution from day one without unnecessary posturing and expense. Your time, as well as your money, is valuable. Considering these things; mediation is the clear choice for dispute resolution.
Mediation is a method of resolving disputes in which individuals or groups in conflict meet with a neutral person who assists them reach an agreement that resolves the dispute.
The mediator does not judge, determine merit, or favor one side over the other. Instead they participate as a neutral, (more…)
Mediation is a method of resolving disputes in which individuals or groups in conflict meet with a neutral person who assists them reach an agreement that resolves the dispute. The mediator does not judge, determine merit, or favor one side over the other.
Divorce Mediation
Mediation is an ideal means of resolution for most couples that are divorcing – even those couples that agree about very little. CFR Mediation builds on the tiniest of agreements, assisting the couple in creating a plan that works for their unique situation.
After the divorce or breakup, some couples are able to end their relationship completely. However, couples with children are going to have to maintain a somewhat close relationship for years. Mediation allows parents to create a plan for co-parenting that is uniquely tailored to their children and parenting relationship.
Some important aspects of CFR Mediation:
For many couples, the reason to choose mediation is cost savings.
A divorce settlement worked out through attorneys can easily cost couples $25,000 (2 attorneys x reviewing documents x client meetings x settlement conferences x settlement writing x hourly fee)
In addition to cost savings, couples who choose to mediate their divorce settlement and parenting plan, end up with decreased levels of stress and significantly higher levels of satisfaction – both in the process and result.
The news of the economy continues to be filled with warnings of worse times to come. Clearly times are stressful.
Relationships too may suffer. It has been long understood that finances can be a major area of conflict for couples, even during prosperous times. It only makes sense that stress increases when times are leaner – putting an extra strain relationships.
Some will opt to divorce. If a relationship is not working, sticking together until the financial situation improves is not an option.
Divorce Mediation is being increasingly seen as a viable alternative due to the expediency of the process and cost savings. When finances are tighter than they have been, legal fees can eat up a significantly larger proportion of the marital assets.
Some, who would have been extremely reluctant to consider mediation, are realizing that there are compelling reasons to try mediation first. The possibility of resolving a divorce (through mediation) in a matter of hours and typically for under $2,500, versus months of meetings and emotional angst coupled with tens of thousands of dollars in expenses is hard to argue against.
Contact a CFR Mediation Coordinator for a free no-obligation consultation.
Although cost should not be the sole reason for choosing mediation, the savings can increase the viability of mediation as a choice in dispute resolution.
Mediation is typically the most affordable solution to resolve a dispute. Below are some explanations for the savings – and are true for CFR Mediation Services, but may not be true for other mediation providers.
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