As divorcing couples search for an easier and somewhat kinder method for resolution, more people have become curious about the benefits of Divorce Without War® mediation and how this kind of process might apply to their unique situation. To help them understand, we’ve compiled a list of advantages of our mediation versus the more traditional and/or litigated divorce process.

 1. LOWER COST

In a Divorce Without War® mediation, willing parties engage in an official process PRIOR to filing a court action. The couple will only pay one professional – the attorney/mediator – versus the expense of hiring two lawyers to take opposing positions in court. Resolution is achieved outside of the courtroom, through discussion and legal settlement based upon terms developed by the participants themselves, eliminating the need for witness subpoenas, court reporter fees and transcript fees typically amassed during divorce proceedings. Prolonged, litigated divorce can deplete assets, entail expensive professional services and interrupt an individual’s personal business, resulting in expenses that may be three times as high – or more – than the cost of Divorce Without War® mediation.

 2. LESS TIME CONSUMING

Participants control how quickly the Divorce Without War® mediation will resolve. The couple determines the schedule and raises issues relevant to their family.  By enabling couples to set the schedule, a mediated result is obtained much faster than in traditional litigation because the case doesn’t rely on the court’s schedule. Additionally, parties do not have to wait for separate meetings and sessions with their individual attorneys, who then take time to speak to each other. Many Divorce Without War® mediators also offer flexible scheduling and appointments in the evenings or on weekends, which can help speed up the process.

 3. PARTIES CONTROL THE OUTCOME

In mediation, the parties reach an agreement developed by the spouses themselves, not one imposed by a third party or  the court system. This is different from litigated divorce, which puts decision-making in the hands of the judge, who may not be familiar with the family’s particular circumstances or needs. Participants are also given the opportunity to try out the terms of their agreement before they become binding,  to see how they work and then propose changes, if needed.

 4. CONFIDENTIALITY

Litigated divorce can be a lengthy process involving depositions of friends, family and business associates, scrutinizing personal activities, finances, and evaluation and criticism of each spouse’s role as a parent. A mediation conference is a private meeting in which the participants are obligated to maintain confidentiality. Clients can discuss important issues in the privacy and comfort of the mediator’s office, rather than in a public courthouse. Additionally, a mediator’s files are confidential – court files are public records that anyone can view.

5. COLLABORATIVE PROCESS

The preservation of relationships is often highly important to divorcing couples, especially when there are children involved.  During the mediation process, the couple will be empowered and guided to communicate about, among other things, his and her concerns, desires, needs, opinions, thoughts and interests. Communication is an essential component of mediation, allowing for the mediator to facilitate a fair agreement. The necessity for communication has often become the “blessing in disguise,” as it may form a nice foundation for the couple, once divorced, to continue the communication that started in mediation.

Divorce Without War allows the opportunity for a once-married couple to look back and to feel proud of his or her conduct, for modeling for their children that when faced with a relationship struggle, they each found a kind way to resolve problems rather than be that parent who declared war on the child’s mom or dad.  The mediation way is one very smart method  that lets the parent protect the health and development of his or her children, the health of precious relationships among family and friends, and the health of the spouse him or herself. Choosing to use Divorce Without War® type mediation results in a kind, dignified process for everyone involved.

Debunking divorce mediation myths: Facts about the mediation process.

Myth: Mediation allows one spouse to dominate another.

Fact: A good mediator pays close attention to the power balance between the spouses and uses specific techniques to address any imbalance. If one spouse persists in dominating behavior, the mediator will call a stop to the mediation rather than allowing it to continue. One caveat: Even the best mediator can be unaware of a power imbalance if it only goes on outside of the mediation sessions and the spouses don’t let the mediator know about it.

Myth: Women are at a disadvantage in mediation.

Fact: Women are no more at a disadvantage in mediation than in divorce court. In fact, women can often obtain a better result in mediation than they can in court, because the mediation process allows separating spouses to negotiate an agreement that considers nonlegal factors. Also, except for court-ordered (mandatory) mediation, a woman is free to stop the mediation or refuse to sign an agreement that seems unfair to her.

All parents are co-parents. Every child has two parents, and from the beginning, we have to contend with our co-parent and all of his or her opinions, attitudes and behaviors.

Whether or you are married or not, whether you are co-habitating or living separately from your child’s other parent, sharing parental responsibility is hard work. It can be fabulous, rewarding, messy and heartbreaking – and it frequently asks more of us than we are prepared to give.

Parents who live together face many of the same tough questions as those who parent apart – How much junk food? How much screen-time? What bedtime is appropriate? How to pay for a sport, a summer camp or a cellphone? Why are you, dear co-parent, “always” late (or overly controlling or too lenient or too strict?)

Parents who live together, married or not, may be more likely to work collaboratively, but not always. There are married parents living in high-conflict households, in which the children suffer from frequent exposure to parental fights.

Click here to continue reading the original article from Parent Express.

Whether you are happily married now, or hoping to be one day, there’s one topic you’d probably rather not think about: divorce. Yet, most of us know at least one wedded couple who has split up. And then there’s that ominous 50 percent statistic, which often scares us into believing that a marriage’s survival is as subject to chance as whether a coin will flip heads or tails.

In fact, this 50/50 buzz-phrase may not even be accurate, Time magazine reports, noting how difficult it is to even track divorce stats. Time cites a University of Pennsylvania study’s conclusion that the age at which a person marries can be a better predictor of the relationship’s success. The study found that 81 percent of college graduates who wed during the ’80s, at age 26 or older, were still married 20 years later — the number decreased to 65 percent for college grads who married before age 26.

But, no matter the risk, it never hurts to be prepared if you do happen to find yourself in the midst of a legal split. And navigating the situation unbiasedly can be difficult, as your emotions affect the ability to make critical decisions.Read more: Separation and Divorce – How to Have a Friendly Divorce at WomansDay.com – Woman’s Day

Helping couples achieve a peaceful, low-cost, and legally smart divorce, Divorce Without War® promotes positive relationships, dignity and emotional wellness for all parties involved.

Miami, FL – April 1, 2013 – Divorce Without War® (www.divorcewithoutwar.com), dedicated and experienced divorce mediators, is expanding its successful business model for nationwide franchise opportunities. Serving as mediators to help couples resolve all divorce issues, Divorce Without War® will now offer franchise opportunities for lawyers interested in owning their own business and becoming the leader in their community in Divorce Mediation.

“Divorce Without War® was established in 1992, and has helped thousands of couples navigate the divorce process,” said Thomas Cromer, CEO of Divorce Without War®. “Our franchisees benefit from a powerful name that people recognize and remember. Divorce Without War® has been the subject of TV, radio and print articles. We have a strong support system from experienced leadership to proven marketing strategies.”

Divorce Without War® recognizes the importance of each couple’s concerns, needs and priorities, providing couples with an appropriate, private setting to discuss their options. With a full support system and experienced attorneys serving as divorce mediators, Divorce Without War® offers mediation fees at a fraction of what it would cost for a couple to hire opposing attorneys. The money saved can be very important to a family while in transition. And laying the groundwork for future cooperation is of equal importance. The emotional and financial well being of the couple and their family is Divorce Without War’s® top priority.

Divorce Without War® franchise owners are provided with a successful business model – one that has proven methods, marketing, procedures, forms, protocols and systems, already in place. Franchisees receive exclusive rights to the Divorce Without War® name in their territory, in addition to the help and guidance of an experienced management team.

Franchise opportunities are available now. For more information, call 888-256-9733 or click here to view the next steps.

About Divorce Without War®

Since 1992, Divorce Without War® has been providing couples with an inexpensive, peaceful alternative to litigated divorce. Divorce Without War® guides couples through the entire divorce process, mediating simple and complex issues related to the dissolution of marriage. Experienced attorneys, acting as mediators, help to facilitate fair agreements between willing participants and prepare the legal documents necessary to obtain a divorce. Divorce Without War® is dedicated to a peaceful, pro-family approach that empowers couples to address concerns and make informed decisions in a safe, informal and confidential setting.

When I go home to Ohio for the holidays, I spend my time as many 20-somethings do: I sleep like a teenager, wander around my bedroom in my prom dress slightly tipsy, thumb through old yearbooks, and laugh, eat and occasionally bicker with my parents. The only not-typical aspect of my visit is that my parents are two women who are no longer together, one of whom used to be a man.

When I was 4, my father decided he wanted to become a woman. Decades earlier he realized he wanted to be a woman, but now he actually made the decision to become one, to the great shock of my mother and to the utter bewilderment of my Appalachian farming grandparents.

Click here to continue reading the entire article from The New York Times.