Deciding to end your marriage is often a life changing event. Life as you have known it for years will soon come to an end. Your family structure will also undergo a drastic transformation. Given the legalities involved in ending your union, you might need or want some sound legal advice and guidance. With divorce mediation Orange County spouses like you can settle legal matters between you in a fair and logical manner.
Getting divorced can be an expensive undertaking once you get lawyers involved. Lawyers charge top dollar per hour for their services. By the time your case is finished, you may end up paying thousands of dollars in legal fees. Mediators charge less money than attorneys and can be assigned to you on a case by case basis. They also speed up the process of the case going through the court system.
Mediators generally are not available for cases that involve minor children or custodial issues. These types of cases are often more contentious in nature and can take months or even years to settle. The state in which you file most likely will not allow you to use a mediator if you have children under the age of 18 for which you must decide issues like custody and child support.
Further, a mediator often lacks the legal authority to settle issues like who gets custody of the kids and who must pay child support. A family court judge has to decide these matters and issue a formal decree on them. Without the formal decree, any arrangements decided on by you and the other party are not legally binding.
However, some states allow mediators to intervene in cases involving spousal support. They typically are allowed to remain involved in a case where both parties agree that one person is entitled to support for a finite amount of time. If the case becomes hostile, the mediator must then refer it to a judge and family court.
You can typically find a mediator available to you regardless of what level of the court system you file a case. They may have waiting lists, meaning you might have to wait a few weeks to file your own petition. Still, once your name comes up on the list, the process typically goes relatively fast. It may involve one or two meetings with the mediator to discuss the issues at hand and reach a final agreement between both parties.
Of course, you can hire an attorney to represent you during the meeting. Still, many couples who do not have kids or a lot of assets choose not to because of their pricing involved. Lawyers also tend to take more time to work out cases. The only time you might hire an attorney is if the situation becomes hostile or you reach an impasse with the other spouse.
Mediation can help a divorce go through the legal system faster and easier. It saves you time and money from having to hire a lawyer. You also may end up getting the results you want as long as you do not have minor children to take into consideration during the proceedings.
Getting divorced can be an expensive undertaking once you get lawyers involved. Lawyers charge top dollar per hour for their services. By the time your case is finished, you may end up paying thousands of dollars in legal fees. Mediators charge less money than attorneys and can be assigned to you on a case by case basis. They also speed up the process of the case going through the court system.
Mediators generally are not available for cases that involve minor children or custodial issues. These types of cases are often more contentious in nature and can take months or even years to settle. The state in which you file most likely will not allow you to use a mediator if you have children under the age of 18 for which you must decide issues like custody and child support.
Further, a mediator often lacks the legal authority to settle issues like who gets custody of the kids and who must pay child support. A family court judge has to decide these matters and issue a formal decree on them. Without the formal decree, any arrangements decided on by you and the other party are not legally binding.
However, some states allow mediators to intervene in cases involving spousal support. They typically are allowed to remain involved in a case where both parties agree that one person is entitled to support for a finite amount of time. If the case becomes hostile, the mediator must then refer it to a judge and family court.
You can typically find a mediator available to you regardless of what level of the court system you file a case. They may have waiting lists, meaning you might have to wait a few weeks to file your own petition. Still, once your name comes up on the list, the process typically goes relatively fast. It may involve one or two meetings with the mediator to discuss the issues at hand and reach a final agreement between both parties.
Of course, you can hire an attorney to represent you during the meeting. Still, many couples who do not have kids or a lot of assets choose not to because of their pricing involved. Lawyers also tend to take more time to work out cases. The only time you might hire an attorney is if the situation becomes hostile or you reach an impasse with the other spouse.
Mediation can help a divorce go through the legal system faster and easier. It saves you time and money from having to hire a lawyer. You also may end up getting the results you want as long as you do not have minor children to take into consideration during the proceedings.
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You can find an overview of the benefits you get when you use professional divorce mediation Orange County services at http://www.creativecustodysolutions.com right now.
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