YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO GET A DIVORCE?  In these economic times, couples find it even more difficult to find the financial resources to take care of the costs of two households and the distributioin of their joint assets.   WHAT IS FAMILY / DIVORCE MEDIATION? Couples can use mediation to come up with an agreement (rather than each hiring an attorney to negotiate the terms, costing as much as $15-25,000 for each of them) and then take the agreement to an attorney who will handle the final steps in the establishing a legal separation and, ultimately, a divorce. You can locate information on divorce attorneys in this area here.   After divorce as children age and enter different stages of life, parents can make revisions to the existing custody and support agreement.  Also, unmarried parents can use mediation to establish  a parenting plan for issues of custody, visitation and support.   A helpful resource for parents who are making co-parenting plans is UpToParents.org

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	HOW DO WE KNOW WE CAN MAKE MEDIATION WORK? There are at least four necessary criteria for a successful mediation: 1) the motivation to mediate, 2) the self-responsibility of both parties, 3) the willingness to disagree and 4) the willingness to agree. The mediator does not make the decisions for the parties...they must be ready to establish individual priorities, hear the other party's positions, and explore options together.
	WILL WE SAVE MONEY? If parties are willing to meet productively and settle on a parenting plan and an asset distribution plan, they can avoid the expensive process of coming to the agreement through the billing time of two attorneys. Each party's attorney should review the agreement during the process and usually one attorney files the appropriate legal document.   It is always advisable to obtain legal advice, but couples may handle some of the steps necessary to obtain a divorce in North Carolina.  Consult the link to www.NCDivorce.com for assistance.
	HOW MUCH WILL MEDIATION COST? Mediation sessions are billed by the hour and additional administrative fees are charged for materials provided and for drafting the agreement.   Couples should understand that the agreement they receive from the mediator is an important step, but not the final one, to proceed to a divorce. The mediator's role is to help the parties work together to resolve disputes, and then to document in writing the resolution of these issues.  It is the responsibility of the parties to take the agreement to the next step....as a mediator, Ms. Ball does not file papers related to separation or divorce.   Depending on the number of sessions required and the level of complexity of the agreement prepared by the mediator, total charges typically range from $500 to $1500. Couples with significant financial constraints may qualify for discounts.