How do I keep my divorce out of court, but still get a fair result?

If you and you partner are able to get along fairly well, you may be prime candidates for divorce mediation. Mediation keeps divorce out of the courtroom and puts your fate into your own hands.

The thing about bringing your divorce to court is that even if the final details are "fair" in the court’s eyes, they may not be fair to you or your partner. The judge tries very hard to make things fair for everyone, but the fact of the matter is: he isn’t you. He hasn’t lived your life, owned your things, or been in your marriage. He can do only so much to work out the details of your divorce.

Mediation lets you and your partner decide what happens in your divorce. You meet at a neutral location with a mediator, who is an un-biased third party. The mediator is there to guide your discussion and aid in negotiating terms of your divorce. She is not there to give you legal advice or argue on behalf of one party; her job is only to keep you on track and help you settle your divorce amicably. In other words, she is more concerned about the mediation process, rather than the settlement outcome.

Aside from keeping your divorce out of the courtroom, many people prefer mediation because it tends to be far less expensive than a hotly debated divorce in court. And, because you do not need to schedule proceedings according to the court’s schedule, mediated divorces tend to move more quickly and become finalized much sooner than other divorces.

Once a divorce is finalized in mediation, both parties can go on with their lives, feeling good about how they both agreed on how things should end. If you are interested in Virginia divorce mediation, contact Smith Strong by calling 804-325-1245 to set up a no-obligation consultation.