Our readers in Maryland know that getting a divorce can be a complicated legal process. For most couples who are going through the divorce process, there are issues involving property division, alimony, child custody and child support that typically need to be addressed. Although the facts of any given divorce case will be vastly different, the issues are largely the same in most cases.
In recognizing the issues that must inevitably be addressed, some couples approach divorce cases with an eye on potentially reducing their costs and stress levels by, if possible, avoiding litigation. Let’s face it: most people have never seen the inside of a courtroom before, and the experience can be intimidating, especially when it is the details of your life on the line. As a result, some couples look to mediation or arbitration to sort through their divorce cases.
Arbitration is a somewhat formal process, but less formal than courtroom litigation. The two sides will still present their best case to a neutral arbitrator, who will then review the facts and applicable law to make a determination as to how the issues in any given divorce case should be decided.
Mediation, on the other hand, is quite a bit less formal than either courtroom litigation or arbitration. In mediation, a neutral third-party mediator will go back-and-forth between the parties, exploring options, sometimes creatively, to see if a divorce settlement agreement can be reached.
Not all divorce cases need to get complicated and expensive. By exploring alternatives to litigation, divorcing couples in Maryland may be saving themselves quite a bit of time and money.
