Understandably, most people tend to associate a lot of negative concepts with the word “divorce” – expensive attorney’s fees, slow progress, high emotions, and constant stress, to name a few. Most of this stems from the traditional way of thinking about how to get a divorce.

Our legal system of courts, lawyers, and judges is, by its nature, an adversarial process. Litigation is rather like a more civilized form of gladiatorial combat, with two opponents battling it out for victory. Although divorce is not a life-or-death situation, the stakes can be very high.

It’s no surprise, then, that many married people feel they must hire a divorce attorney to step into the arena on their behalf. While there a variety of situations where this is indeed the best course of action, there is often a better way

Let us help you and your spouse to move on with your lives, peacefully and efficiently, by choosing a mediated divorce. Instead of one party filing for divorce, both of you work together with a specially trained attorney who walks you through the process from start to finish. It is a unique opportunity for the parties to determine for themselves, with the assistance of a legal professional, the outcome of their own case.

It is important to understand the role of the mediator. We serve as a neutral third-party. We do not “take sides,” give advice, or make decisions for either party. Rather, our purpose is to facilitate a discussion between you and your spouse about the many issues inherent to a divorce. We help generate ideas and alternative solutions that you may not have considered or been aware of.

In many cases, people who believe that their dispute is unsolvable find that they are able to reach an acceptable agreement through mediation. Doing so can prevent the additional cost, time, energy, and stress of fighting it out in the courtroom. Mediation has been recognized by the State of Utah as such a beneficial process, that parties involved in a traditional (litigated) divorce are required to attend at least one mediation session. But you can always choose to mediate before filing papers with the Court.

• Maintain control over the outcome of your case.
• Greater creativity and flexibility in creating a settlement agreement.
• Less formal and stressful than going to court.
• Almost always faster and less expensive than litigation.
• Mediated agreements are more likely to be complied with than court-imposed decisions.
• Parties tend to be happier with the outcome of a mediated agreement than a court-imposed decision.

When you call our firm, an experienced attorney-mediator evaluates your case and determines if it is a good candidate for a mediated divorce. Benjamin L. Lawrence is a qualified provider on the Utah State Courts’ Roster of Domestic Mediators.