DIVORCE MEDIATION
What is mediation?
Mediation is an out-of-court process designed to help people reach the best agreement for them when separating, divorcing or in a post-dissolution matter. As a trained professional mediator, our attorneys can assist you in obtaining the information you need and help you stay focused on the issues that need to be resolved in order to separate, divorce or address a post-dissolution disagreement amicably and in a cost efficient manner.
Will I need a lawyer in order to use mediation?
If you are seeking a divorce, the mediator cannot represent either person in court. A separate attorney must be retained in order to have your petition filed in court and represent one of the parties at the prove-up or court appearance before a judge to finalize the divorce.
If you are mediating a post-dissolution matter such as a change to your parenting agreement, there is usually a provision in your agreement that provides for resolution through mediation. After your agreement is reached, you can choose whether to simply sign an agreement or have the agreement entered by a judge as an Agreed Order.
How long will mediation take?
Because each separation and divorce and post-dissolution matter is different, it is hard to predict exactly how long your mediation will last. In general, a full divorce, including custody issues, division of property and assets, takes between five and eight sessions. A change to a parenting agreement may take a single session to resolve. In addition, the mediator will take time to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding (in case of divorce) or other written agreement that outlines all of the agreements that you have reached through the mediation process.
How much will mediation cost?
Your mediation costs will be based on an hourly fee. The cost of mediation is generally significantly less than if each of you hired lawyers to represent you in your divorce without using mediation.
Contact William G. Clark, Jr. & Associates, LTD. today for an appointment at 312-329-0830