“I want to get divorced, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money. What’s the best way to do it?” The great thing about divorce mediation is that it is one of those rare times when the cheaper option is also the better one.

Using a mediator to get divorced is way less expensive than going to a lawyer. In divorce mediation, the couple meets with one person who helps them come to a fair agreement that both people can live with. Instead of each person hiring his/her own lawyer and paying high hourly rates for each meeting, each email, and each telephone call between the lawyers, the divorcing couple uses one mediator at a lower hourly rate to get the job done. Studies show that divorce through mediation can cost $7,500 from start to finish as compared to up to ten times that amount - $75,000 - when both husband and wife hire their own lawyers.

But is cheaper better? In this case, it is. Divorce mediation is not only cheaper than litigation, it is also faster, more private - no public record in court, meetings are confidential - and better for the post-divorce relationship. Studies show that people are more likely to follow through on a plan that they helped to create. Moreover, mediators work to minimize family conflict which is better for the couple, and the children as well.