Both mediation and collaborative divorce law save you time, energy, and money as compared to taking your case to court and having a judge tell you who will get or give what to whom
Many believe that these non-court alternatives cost about 25% of what a contested divorce costs, and they finish three to four times quicker.
As a rule, collaborative divorce costs more than divorce mediation, but it still costs significantly less than going to court. However, this is not to say that divorce mediation is inexpensive.
There are two disadvantages associated with mediation that are not present in collaborative law.
In mediation, the parties still have legal costs. Someone has to process the mediated agreement through the court system. In addition, mediation often has the effect of making some spouses feel alone, untrusting, or "over their heads." Many of us need on-the-spot support when making life changing decisions.
In collaborative law, each party has an attorney sitting next to them in real time and throughout the entire process.
