In our last post, we saw Eric and Eva address their child custody issues in mediation, with surprisingly positive results. Today we will look at some of the financial issues they will need to resolve before finalizing their divorce. These include alimony and child support payments, identification and distribution of marital property, and division of retirement assets. Read more
Today we are going to look at some ways to resolve financial issues in divorce mediation. We met Katherine and Julian in our two previous posts. They are both 33, have no children, and have been married for six years. As we learned last month, they decided to go through marriage counseling to address emotional problems before making a final decision to divorce. If they do divorce, the next question will be whether or not they can use mediation effectively. Read more
When we last saw Derek and Stacey, in Part VII of “Up Close and Personal” they were wrapping up their third mediation session. They had made great progress working out their property division and deciding how to handle child custody, but they still needed to deal with child support, and possibly alimony. Read more
In Part VI of “Up Close and Personal,” our divorce mediation case study series, we watched Derek and Stacey reach several major decisions regarding distribution of their marital property and debts. As we rejoin them, they are returning to their third mediation session after a break. During the break they reviewed some charts that their mediator, Ms. Smith, made up to illustrate the property division. She asks if they have any questions. Let’s see what happens next… Read more
In our first installment we discussed the events leading up to Derek and Stacey’s decision to participate in divorce mediation. In the second installment, we looked in on their first session. Now let’s see how things are working out for them during session number two. Read more
Previously, we blogged about choosing mediation in a financially complicated divorce. As we discussed in that post, even though a complex mediation may take more time and involve more costs than a simple mediation, the proportional cost savings compared to litigating a case can make mediation a very attractive alternative. One of the major reasons financially complicated divorces tend to be more costly is the necessity of using experts. Choosing to use joint experts and abbreviated reports in mediation can result in considerable savings.
What kind of financial experts do couples going through divorce mediation typically need? While each case is different, the following list will give you some idea of what types of experts you might need, as well as exactly what each expert can do for you. Read more
If you and your spouse are interested in resolving your divorce issues through mediation, but one or both of you believes that the complexity of your financial situation makes mediation an unlikely fit, you may want to rethink the possibility. While it is true that mediating a complicated case could be a lengthier and more detailed process than mediating a simple case, it is also true that litigating a complicated case generally takes more time and more attention to detail than litigating a simple case. This means that your costs are apt to be higher than normal if you go to court, but your savings from choosing mediation could also be greater than the average savings.
You’ve hired your mediator and the first appointment is set. The next step? Getting prepared. Your New Jersey family law mediator will request you bring specific financial and personal documents to your first divorce mediation session. Besides gathering this information, you can also take steps on your own to prepare. Here are three tips for how to feel organized and ready for this first meeting with your mediator. Read more
Don't go into your divorce or family law matter defenseless
