What Is the Cost of Divorce Mediation?

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• How Much Does Divorce Mediation Cost?
• What to Expect in the Mediation Process
• Reaching an Agreement Through Mediation
• Find Legal Help

Your divorce doesn’t have to be completely contentious. Uswah Khan, a Connecticut family law attorney, is showing more and more clients that mediation may be the best way to separate. “I’m all for mediation,” she says, “especially having a litigation background and seeing how ugly it can get. Mediation is great because it’s leading to preserving the relationship within the families. The solutions in the settlement come from within; it’s not a person in a robe deciding what you’re going to do with your children and your life.”

How Much Does Divorce Mediation Cost?

Of course, experienced divorce attorneys charge different rates depending on a variety of factors, but Khan charges her clients around $3,000 per mediation (broken into mediation sessions).

A typical divorce that goes to court may cost upwards of $20,000, much more than the cost of mediation, and can take much longer than one month to get straightened out.

In sum, while there is no hard and fast rule regarding attorney fees and legal costs, mediation tends to be a cheaper option than litigation for divorcing couples. It’s important to discuss costs with an attorney upfront so you’re prepared.

What to Expect in the Mediation Process

If a potential client comes to Khan seeking a divorce, she’ll often screen them by phone to see if they and their spouse will be a good fit for mediation. “I’ll ask them if they’ve considered mediation or collaborative divorce,” she says. “If it feels like it might be a good fit, I’ll schedule both spouses to come in and meet with me for that initial consult.”

For Khan, most divorces get mediated in four sessions. “In each session, I’ll discuss something different,” she says. For example, the first session may revolve around parenting issues, while the second could be about child support; the third could cover division of assets, while the fourth may go over topics like retirement accounts and life insurance.

Most of the time, sessions last one or two hours. “If it’s becoming more adversarial towards the end of the two hours, I’ll just ask that all the sessions be one hour going forward,” Khan says. “You don’t want them to start bringing up old issues because they’ve been there for too long.”

If you meet with your mediator once a week for four sessions, you can be done in a month, no court appearances necessary. “And then I draft up all the paperwork, have them back to sign it, and they can file it in court,” says Khan, adding that 37 percent of her divorce clients have used mediation in the past year.

Reaching an Agreement Through Mediation

When Khan sees couples trying to reach an agreement through mediation, she knows there will be less of a relationship breakdown going forward. “It leads to preserving their relationship with one another, because they now that this is what they agreed to, and they’re going to make it work,” she says.

“It’s hard enough for them getting the divorce, to have it be full of anger and hostility,” Khan continues. “Whereas, if you’re eating chocolates in my office together and laughing, that’s going to create a better rapport between the clients.”

Find Legal Help

For more information on the mediation process, dispute resolution, divorce proceedings or arbitration, see our overviews of family law, divorce, and mediation and collaborative law. Visit the Super Lawyers directory to find a divorce lawyer in your area.