Divorce is never easy for anyone to go through. It’s even more challenging for people with extensive and diverse assets and for high-profile individuals.
There are unique considerations that you’ll need to take into account when deciding whether to resolve your divorce case via mediation or litigation.
Investments and income
Many individuals of means have various investments, including stocks, mutual funds, bonds, cryptocurrencies, real estate and collections. Inventorying all this property and assigning a value to it can take time. You may also have retirement accounts and various sources of income with different compensation structures in place. Brokering an agreement regarding who gets what between you and your spouse can take a lot of negotiation.
Tackling such conversations in a courtroom can be time consuming. The court generally only has limited time to address such concerns in a single court hearing, and information discussed in the courtroom is often accessible to the public. While the court will listen to each of your wishes, they’ll ultimately make decisions they believe are best instead of what you want. These complex factors may motivate you to want to pursue mediation over litigation.
Should a prenuptial agreement impact your choice regarding whether to pursue mediation?
Many couples of means have pre- or postnuptial agreements in place. If you do, then this may limit how much you need to sort out during property division discussions. You generally can’t include details about child support or custody in such agreements, though. These may be lingering issues that you’ll need to sort out even if a prenuptial agreement is in place.
Is family law mediation right for you?
If getting a swift resolution in your divorce and keeping things private is a priority, then pursuing family law mediation might be the right choice for you. Most everything discussed in mediation doesn’t go beyond that room, whereas litigated matters become public record. Most mediators can also help couples resolve their differences in one or a few mediation sessions over a few short weeks. This may allow you to reach a settlement and move on with your life more quickly than you could by pursuing litigation.
You’ll find a wealth of resources about mediation on our website that are sure to answer your preliminary questions about this dispute resolution option so that you can decide whether it’s right for you.