It's no secret that divorce attorneys are expensive; fees today range from $250.00-$650.00 per hour and higher, for each attorney. Think about that; a husband and wife can easily be paying a combined rate of $1,000.00 or more for each hour of work done on their case. When you consider that each court appearance usually takes a minimum of 3-4 hours of attorney time, and that most cases require several court appearances, the cost can spiral out of control, and the case can drag on for several years. Mediation can be a very cost effective, less stressful and significantly faster process for resolving your divorce.
In order for mediation to be successful, both parties need to bring an open mind to the negotiations. They need to be willing to explore options; most important, they must avoid taking inflexible positions or making nonnegotiable demands. Unless there is a willingness of each party to keep an open mind and at least listen to the needs of their spouse, the mediation process is likely going to fail, no matter how skilled the mediator may be.
I've read a number of articles which provide statistics about the success rate of mediation versus litigating a divorce; some have claimed a success rate as high as 90%. While I'm not certain that these figures are exactly accurate, I have had very favorable results mediating divorces in my own practice. It's worth a try.
Richard L. Leeds, Attorney at Law
18321 Ventura Blvd, Suite 900
Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 654-1900
Website: rleedslaw.com
email: Lawyer602@aol.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
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