There has been a slight panic among some divorce lawyers I know about the lack of family law judges available to deal with divorce cases.  I don’t pretend to know the political ins and outs of it, but the gist is that there are judicial vacancies, and not enough judges to make the system work.  So, family court judges that should be available to hear your divorce case are no longer available.  The sense I get is that if you expected to have a judge rule on something about your divorce, then you need to lower your expectations because you may have to wait a long while before you can appear in court.

At Westfield Mediation, LLC, we help couples come to an agreement about all areas of their divorce.  We help parents develop a parenting plan, a fair and equitable distribution of their assets and debts, and calculate child and spousal support.  Through divorce mediation, couples can resolve all the issues of the divorce.  There is no need for the judge to decide anything.  The only time you see the judge is to have your divorce legally granted.  You walk into the court married and you leave the court divorced. 

So don’t panic, like some of my lawyer colleagues.  The vacancies will not affect you because you are not asking for the judge to decide anything about your divorce.  When using mediation, you just want the judge to grant the divorce to make it legal.  You have made all the necessary decisions during the course of mediation and you are satisfied with the final outcome.  No rulings from the judge needed here. 

For more information about Divorce Mediation. contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, LMFT, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373.  View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com

As divorce mediators, we often hear the question -- “Why is it so expensive to get divorced?”  It does not seem to make sense that it costs so much to get out of a relationship. Many couples worry about the cost of living on their own, and they don’t want to put themselves further behind by spending precious dollars on the divorce itself.  Yet, as we advise our divorce mediation clients, this is not the time to skimp.

The issues that arise during divorce are complicated – plans for the children, dividing the assets and debts, going through investments, selling houses or other property.  And decisions made now have long-lasting consequences. It is worth the investment now to create a fair agreement for moving forward on parenting, child support, spousal support and the division of assets. 

Drafting an agreement through divorce mediation is cheaper than doing it through divorce litigation. In fact, a mediated divorce costs a small fraction of a litigated one. Still, the process costs money because the couple needs to work with a trained professional to come up with a comprehensive blueprint for the future. In divorce mediation, we review all the important parenting and financial considerations, and help couples create an agreement that works for them. We have the experience to ask questions and raise issues that you may not have thought of on your own. Divorce mediation is a good way to save valuable dollars without skimping on a process that will impact the future of your family.

For more information about Divorce Mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD or Michelle Weinberg, LMFT at Westfield Mediation, LLC at 908-913-0373 or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com.  You can also visit our website www.westfieldnjmediation.com.