Can I Settle My Ilinois Divorce Through Mediation?

 Posted on January 26, 2024 in Divorce

Every person is unique, so no two marriages can be the same. That explains why some couples will have a very contentious divorce while others will be relatively amicable. When two people wish to end their marriage but would like to avoid conflict, mediation can be an excellent option. It costs less, takes less time, and involves less conflict than a divorce played out in a courtroom. Suppose you believe you and your spouse could reach a divorce settlement without entering the court. In that case, a knowledgeable DuPage County, IL, divorce lawyer can help you understand whether mediation could suit your needs.

How Does Mediation Work?

After an initial meeting with all involved parties, the two spouses sit in different rooms during a mediation process. The mediator’s primary role is facilitating communication and negotiation between the spouses, going back and forth between their separate rooms. The mediator will share their questions, offers, and responses with each other. They listen to both sides’ concerns, identify core issues and points of conflict, and offer compromises that both could find agreeable. After several rounds of relaying information to the spouses, mediation should ultimately end what a comprehensive divorce settlement has been formulated. The couple then needs to file an Illinois divorce petition with the court, and the process is essentially complete.

In cases where mediation can serve as an effective way to finalize a divorce, the couples generally benefit from:

• Privacy: Courts are generally open to the public, and anyone can sit in and observe proceedings. Divorce, by nature, involves discussion of intimate details about a couple’s finances and preferences that they might not want everyone to know. The couple is afforded much more privacy since mediation takes place in two closed rooms. Information that comes up in mediation is confidential and cannot be disclosed in future litigation, should the couple later need to resolve their divorce in court.
• Time: Court cases must follow a specific structure and abide by more rules and regulations. Mediation more closely resembles conversations and can be completed in a swifter manner.
• Costs: Mediation typically costs a fraction of how much it costs to get divorced in court.

If, after several rounds with the mediator going back and forth and bringing proposals and suggestions to both spouses, no settlement has been reached, the couple will have to move over from mediation to court proceedings.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Wheaton, IL Divorce Lawyer

If you and your spouse believe you can amicably resolve all the issues that need to be addressed in a divorce settlement, an experienced DuPage County, IL, divorce attorney can review your circumstances and help you understand whether mediation might be a good path forward for you. At Davi Law Group, we have a lot of experience guiding our clients toward optimal results in mediation. Call 630-657-5052 to schedule a free consultation.