How Long Does Divorce Mediation Typically Last?

Divorce mediation is a process in which you and your spouse both attend sessions with a third-party mediator whose job is to guide you through making divorce-related decisions outside of court.

Mediation is designed to help people avoid the long, drawn-out and expensive court processes associated with divorce trials. By its very nature, it is much less expensive than court litigation, and will almost always be faster.

How long you can expect your mediation process to last, though, will really depend on the individual circumstances of your case, including:

• Your assets: More assets makes for a more complicated divorce process. Even if you agree on most of the issues, it will still take a longer period of time to cover everything, because there are more decisions to get through.
• Child custody: Divorcing couples will frequently find it easier to compromise on issues related to assets and finances than issues related to children. If you have minor children, this will add some complicating factors and potential strain to your divorce process. Expect to spend a significant amount of time working through child custody options.
• Number of issues: How many total issues do you need to work through in mediation? These include asset distribution, child custody, child support, alimony, business interests, finances, investments and more. The more issues you need to cover, the longer you can expect it to take.
• Your attitude: If both parties come in with a bad attitude and are unwilling to compromise, then not only will your mediation last long, but you can also expect to end up in court. The best, fastest results from divorce mediation come when both parties are actually willing to negotiate and are cordial with each other.

For more information about the factors that could influence how long your divorce mediation takes to wrap up, contact an experienced Long Island divorce lawyer at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.