Divorce can be a significant hardship for a family, creating uncertainty, fear and strong emotions.
Resolving the end of a marriage may test your fortitude and patience. Divorce mediation may be an attractive alternative to enable you to successfully negotiate the challenges of your marriage break-up.
Misconceptions about mediation
- Divorce litigation is a more effective process.
Divorce litigation is by definition adversarial. The job of each party’s lawyer is to aggressively advocate for their client. While very complex divorces may require litigation, you and your spouse may be able to resolve your differences with less animosity during mediation. - Divorce litigation is more official.
Under New Jersey law, a mediation agreement document is a legally binding and enforceable contract. Once finalized, your agreement can become an official Marital Settlement Agreement and is incorporated into a Final Judgment of Divorce before the court.
Benefits of mediation
- Mediation takes less time than traditional divorce litigation.
- Mediation is more affordable than the court process.
- The reduction of stress in a mediation proceeding may help to preserve relationships.
The process of mediation may encourage honest communication between the parties. The sessions are more informal and may mitigate tension. - Mediation can address critical elements of divorce, including:
- Alimony
- Equitable distribution
- Child support
- Child custody and parenting time
- Pre-marital or pre-nuptial agreements
Divorce may require considerable personal strength and endurance to successfully move on to your next chapter. Mediation may enable you to manage your conflicts and create peaceful and productive future relationships with your spouse and children.