The Value of Mediation in Divorce

Divorce is never easy, even when you have known it was coming for years. When the conflict reaches a level where there is no turning back, divorce is the only solution to bring peace to the individuals and to the family. After the decision has been made, the best solution is to make the ending as smooth and as swift as possible.

Everyone knows a horror story of a nasty divorce. A friend of mine was getting a divorce after 40 years of marriage, having waited until the last child was almost out of college. They had talked things through; it was going to be an amicable divorce with a fifty-fifty split of the assets, and it was to be done with as little strife as possible. The problem was that they had accumulated considerable assets and the husband decided he didnt want to part with half of it.

The husband is a physician and felt he had earned the money so he should get to keep most of it. The wife had worked in the medical office in the early years, later got a real estate license and managed the apartments they purchased for investments, gave birth to their two children and raised them, took care of the huge house and the kids and her husband. She felt she had earned half of the assets.

The original plan was to file for divorce in September, when the younger child left for his senior year of college, giving him the gift of a peaceful summer vacation with the family intact. Unfortunately, the husband decided to hire the most malicious divorce attorney in town in July. The result was disastrous. The divorce became a bitter battle. The entire family suffered tremendous emotional turmoil. Even though the children involved were in their twenties when the divorce took place, the toll on their lives was enormous.

The husbands attorney dragged out the litigation, extending the pain and suffering on all involved and in the end the assets were split just as was originally agreed upon. After all, it was California and the fifty-fifty split was inevitable.

The moral of the story is that divorce doesnt have to be ugly and so horribly painful for the entire family. The legal system permits parting couples to use mediation, an impartial third party to help negotiate the settlement, visitation rights, child support, and other decisions necessary to dissolve the marriage. Studies show that couples who use mediation are often more satisfied with the end results than with litigation. Mediation can also help reduce the cost of the divorce proceedings and help speed the process along.

Couples who have decided that divorce is the solution to their marital situation should seek out competent legal advice. They should choose attorneys that will have the clients best interest at heart. They should also investigate the mediation process to see if it will work for their specific situation to lesson the impact, time, and cost of the divorce.

About The Author When Andrew Tenco and his wife started divorce proceedings, they both agreed to get a Sacramento County divorce mediation lawyer instead of typical Sacramento divorce lawyers. They did not want a vicious Sacramento divorce attorney costing them more money and potentially hurting their family during such an emotional time. For more visit http://www.familylawcenter.us/