Going through a divorce is never easy for either side. Things can become more complicated when there are children and shared financial obligations such as a mortgage involved. A nasty divorce can in some cases take years to mitigate and the costs for attorneys and court fees can break most families financially. One way to save money for everyone is to go through mediation first to clear up some of the financial and custody issues that have arisen through the divorce. Mediation is much less expensive than attorneys and can be done much quicker than fighting for what you want through the court system. Many times a judge is only looking at the basic facts which can leave one party or the other out in the cold.
A mediator gets together with both sides and has an open table discussion about what each party wants and expects when the divorce is final. There are topics such as custody that can be time consuming to get through particularly if both parents want full custody of the children. The mediators work with both parents to figure out what arrangements can be made, such as joint custody that would work for both parties. If the parents are not residing in the same home but live in the same neighborhood can have a custody arrangement where the children get the same amount of time with each parent.
If there is a home involved in the divorce, this can get even more heated than trying to arrange for custody of the children. Many people have a joint interest in the home and yet both want to retain possession of it. In most cases, mediation can come up with a resolution that works for both parties such as selling the home and splitting the profit after the joint bills are paid off. Another resolution is renting out the home and splitting the profits. No matter what the resolution is, there is a better chance at both parties getting a fair deal if they come to an agreement before court.
Mediation is a great way to resolve difficult issues when a divorce is imminent. It is much more cost effective to fight for what you want through a mediator than it is through the court system and through attorneys. All arrangements can be made and agreed upon before the court date and the judge then only needs to sign off on the paperwork that has already been laid out for them.