Divorce Mediation Is A Low Cost Divorce In Chicago
Many couples yearn to find a low cost divorce Chicago option for ending their marriage. Why? A typical divorce can cost thousands of dollars, and the attorney fees increase with the level of hostility between the parties. Every issue that involves the attorneys will result in the divorce costs increasing. Often, the adversarial role of divorce attorneys can create costs that could be avoided with an alternative divorce resolution.
Parties to a divorce need to understand that the divorce court judge has very little leeway in Chicago to award child support and alimony other than what the law allows. If specific unusual needs are involved such as care for a handicapped child, the judge may have more latitude to increase the award.
In most financial matters the judge will award a division of the assets based on their legal authority. Investments in equities will most likely be divide equally between the parties. The home will be treated as an asset to be sold or one spouse will be allowed to live in it for a period of time.
The alternative to finalizing a divorce through judicial proceedings is the divorce mediation. This low cost divorce Chicago option involves the use of trained and experienced mediators who know how to bring the parties together in a non-threatening environment for a discussion based on solving the issues.
Anger is often pervasive in divorce proceedings, but the divorce mediators are skilled at diffusing the anger or at least convincing the parties that anger has no constructive purpose in mediation discussions. In these cases the mediators are able to inform the parties that their arguments are meaningless because the law will resolve the issues so why not follow the law without the expense of the court’s help.
If the divorcing parties are friendly and the relationship is amicable, then the low cost divorce Chicago mediator can help by bringing a collaborative discussion wherein the parties can understand their respective rights and will agree to accept a divorce that includes these. This type of mediation is easier and usually very fruitful.
Divorce mediation is not a hostile process and it is not as intimidating as a court room could be. The nature of the mediation process is to allow both parties a chance to express their wishes in a calm way without creating an argument or a hostile response from the other party. The mediator knows how to set this tone for the mediation. Presumably, the parties have agreed to mediation and this is a step toward a peaceful discussion of the differences.
The agreements reached by mediation do not have the force and effect of a court judgment, but they are stated in a final document for presenting to the divorce court. One or both parties will need to have an attorney present the agreement in court and prepare the divorce decree for the judge to sign. Once the judge approves the mediation, it will become the divorce decree. A lot less cost will be involved in reaching this stage with a divorce mediator. The attorneys will have very little work to do so their fees will be nominal. That’s why divorce mediation truly makes sense when it comes to low cost divorce Chicago options.