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Divorce Mediation Cost In 2023

Divorce Mediation Cost In 2023

Many issues must be decided during a divorce. These could include division of property, division of child custody, spousal support and child support. You can leave it to the court to make these decisions for you, but coming to an agreement on your own can be cheaper and result in better outcomes.

Unfortunately, when your marriage has broken down, compromising on key financial and personal issues with your spouse can be a challenge. Divorce mediation can help. During the mediation process, a professional assists you in finding common ground and coming to a compromise that works for you.

If this process sounds appealing, you may be wondering, what is the divorce mediation cost in 2023? This guide helps you estimate what you can expect to pay for a mediator.

What Is Divorce Mediation?

Divorce mediation can help couples who want an uncontested divorce but who cannot come to an agreement on their own about the issues. A trained mediator helps to oversee negotiations between the couple, working with them to better communicate, understand the law, clarify their expectations and find compromise.

Mediators do not tell you what to do or make any decisions for you. Their role is to enable better communication so you can make the choices that are best for you and your loved ones.

Mediators typically set meeting agendas, request information from both parties (such as financial documents) and guide you through discussions that hopefully lead to the drafting of a settlement agreement both spouses sign onto.

How Do Mediators Charge?

Most mediators operate under one of two payment structures:

  • Flat fee: Some mediators offer a flat-fee package. This can help you better estimate costs up front. These packages usually cost anywhere from $4,000 to $5,500. There may be some fine print and limitations though. For example, you may be capped at a certain number of hours of mediation under a flat-fee arrangement.
  • Hourly: With this approach, you pay your mediator for the time spent on your case. Attorney mediators may charge around $250 to $500 per hour while non-attorney mediators typically charge around $100 to $350 per hour.

What Is the Divorce Mediation Cost in 2023?

Unfortunately, there is not just one answer when looking into the divorce mediation cost. The price you pay depends on the following factors:

  • How complex your divorce is: The more issues your mediator must help with, the longer you will need their services and the higher your costs will be
  • How well you and your spouse communicate and compromise: If your relationship is volatile and compromises are hard to come by, your mediation will take longer and cost more
  • Your mediator’s skill and experience: Mediators with more professional credentials, more years of experience and a better reputation for helping clients will likely cost more
  • Your mediator’s background: Attorney mediators charge more than non-attorney mediators
  • Your geographic area: Mediators charge more in some locations than others

That said, there are a number of different estimates for the average cost of divorce mediation with some sources reporting mediators cost between $3,000 and $8,000 on average and others reporting total costs of mediated divorce at $7,000 to $10,000.

How Does The Divorce Mediation Cost Compare to a Litigated Divorce?

Paying a mediator may sound expensive. In reality, though, it is generally much less costly to work with a mediator to create a divorce settlement agreement than to go through the process of divorce litigation.

Litigation is time consuming and very expensive due to added legal fees and the possibility of extra fees for experts. If you and your spouse are committed to the process of mediation and believe you can create your own divorce settlement with a little help, paying the divorce mediation cost is usually well worth it.

Pros and Cons of Divorce Mediation

Read the complete article here.

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