Alternatives To Going To Court To Settle A Divorce
Over the last several years, more and more couples have looked for alternative ways to settle the terms of a divorce. Litigation has been the default process for many years, forcing couples to hire individual lawyers to represent them in court and spending a lot of time and money in the process. The most popular and effective alternative to litigation is divorce mediation, which allows couples to work with a neutral mediator to settle the terms of a divorce including division of property, child custody and spousal/child support. Rather than leave these major decisions in the hands of a judge, who can only learn so much
Life is busy – between work, your kids’ busy schedules, and routine issues that you have to get done on a daily basis. And, if you are beginning the divorce process, it is nearly certain that you are feeling stretched and overwhelmed. Online divorce mediation became extremely popular during the pandemic when we were all minimizing in-person meetings as a result of COVID-19. Now that we have vaccines and treatments for COVID, in-person meetings are safer, but many of us have continued to complete meetings virtually, rather than in person. This is the same for divorce mediation sessions. Johnson Mediation continues to offer
You may be surprised to learn that the Minnesota court system encourages all couples who are beginning the divorce process to use mediation instead of litigation to settle the issues between you. The legal system is backed up with cases and simply cannot schedule in a timely manner. Mediation has been proven to be an effective and efficient way to settle the terms of a divorce including child custody, division of joint property and spousal maintenance and/or child support.
Of all of the issues to resolve as part of your divorce, deciding how your children will split their time between parents is likely the most challenging. When you are all living under one roof, you are used to being part of every moment, every bedtime, every day of school, every small decision. When you and your spouse separate and begin the divorce process, this family dynamic shifts dramatically and can take an emotional toll on your entire family. Divorce mediation is an excellent way to determine a custody agreement and/or parenting plan
The holidays are fast approaching and if you have been through a divorce and are co-parenting, you likely have a parenting plan in place that outlines how your children will spend their time over the holiday season. This parenting plan or custody agreement may have been negotiated during the divorce process. However, as your kids age and family circumstances change, these parenting plans may need to be changed to meet everyone’s needs. Your kids may have different preferences, your family may have new traditions, or you or your ex may have remarried and have a blended family. Changes in a parenting plan
You may already know that the Minnesota court system recommends that all couples try mediation to resolve the terms of a divorce before attempting litigation. You may wonder why that is the recommendation. Mediation is less expensive and takes less time than litigation and that is certainly part of the reason. What you might not be aware of is just how successful mediation is. Mediation can be more than 85% effective in divorce cases, even when child custody is a factor. Both parties are often more satisfied with the outcome and the results are more long lasting. That is a very high success rate, especially given that many couples enter the divorce process with…
Divorce is one of those things that you hope never to have to navigate. However, many of us end up realizing that our marriage cannot move forward in a healthy way, so divorce becomes an unfortunate reality. The divorce process itself is unfamiliar and can be overwhelming and extremely stressful. It is certainly not something you would ever want to become an expert on. Over the last decade or two, divorce mediation has become a more popular option for resolving the terms of a divorce because it is less expensive and takes less time than litigation. In addition, it gives the couple the chance to make decisions for their own family, rather than putting that power in…
When it comes to divorce, you must make some decisions to get the process started. One of those decisions is whether to go through the traditional court system for divorce or to attempt a mediated divorce. In addition to the many benefits of mediation, the Minnesota court system also recommends that all couples try divorce mediation first before proceeding through the courts. Choosing your mediator becomes your next major decision in terms of navigating the divorce process. Here are some important factors to consider as you make this important decision.
Once you have made the decision to divorce, many couples think that the process cannot move fast enough. In the state of Minnesota, a divorce can take as few as 4-8 weeks. Minnesota is a “no-fault” state so you will be granted a divorce as long as one of the parties request one. A divorce is granted without any consideration of wrongdoing, but that can factor in when determining the financial settlement. Either you or your spouse is required to have lived in the state for 6 months before your divorce can be granted in Minnesota. Divorce mediation allows you to complete the entire divorce process in a shorter amount of time, without waiting on the schedule of lawyers or the court
When you think about your family and your life, most adults will say that their children are the most important thing in your entire world. If you are under any type of stress–work, financial or interpersonal, you work hard to protect your kids from the pain. As you might expect, couples who are struggling in their marriage and contemplating divorce, tend to worry most about the impact on their children. Johnson Mediation can help you navigate divorce while prioritizing the mental health and wellbeing of your kids. Choosing divorce mediation instead of litigation
