People nearing the end of a marriage in Ohio have several options. In cases where spouses agree on everything, they may be able to pursue a dissolution. Other times, they may be able to settle their disagreements and proceed with an uncontested divorce.
In scenarios where they truly cannot cooperate, litigation is an option as well. An Ohio family law judge can review the family’s circumstances and decide the most appropriate way to settle disputes related to parenting, financial support and property division.
One of the ways that couples pave the way for an amicable divorce or a dissolution is through mediation. They sit down with a professional mediator who remains neutral and talk about their disagreements. What inspires so many divorcing couples to mediate their disputes?
Expediency
Waiting for a hearing in family court can be an exhausting, stressful experience. Depending on how many cases require the intervention of a family law judge, people may end up in legal limbo for months. The divorce trial itself could take a significant amount of time. In scenarios where people want to speed up the divorce process and move forward as quickly as possible, mediation can help. Provided that the mediation sessions are successful, spouses can limit how much time they spend in family court and also how long they have to wait to resolve their marital disagreement. As an added bonus, reducing the amount of time spent in Family Court can also reduce the amount of money they pay to divorce.
Privacy
Divorcing spouses often need to discuss some very personal matters to arrive at fair solutions for marital matters. Concerns related to infidelity and substance abuse, as well as unhealthy interpersonal dynamics, can potentially influence the right terms to set in a divorce. Discussing those issues in open court can lead to the exposure of very private information. Couples who discuss those concerns in mediation can push for appropriate, customized divorce terms without necessarily airing their dirty laundry in a public setting.
Control
In litigated divorce cases, the spouses give control over the process to the judge hearing the case. The judge decides what happens to their property, how much time they have with their children and even their financial support obligations are at the discretion of an outside party. If spouses reach an agreement in mediation, they control the terms set for the major issues in their divorces.
Divorce mediation can potentially help even those who can barely stand to be in a room with one another achieve an uncontested divorce. Attending mediation sessions can give divorcing spouses an opportunity to resolve their disputes, limit their expenses and move on with their lives.