St. Petersburg Divorce Mediation Attorney

When you meet with our mediator, you are working with a legal professional who doesn’t take sides. She is not trying to help either party “win.” Her job is to help you talk to one another. Her training can allow each person to listen and communicate effectively, empowering the two of you to make beneficial decisions together.

Mediation can help keep the talks productive. If either party gets frustrated, our mediator can help calm these tensions. Our lawyer has years of experience in and out of the courtroom. When couples hit a wall and cannot agree on something, Attorney Beth Reineke can draw upon that experience and offer helpful settlement options.

How Can Divorce Mediation Benefit Me?

Mediation Saves Money

In a courtroom trial, you are paying for many services. Your attorney must investigate and prove all your claims, and they must do the same to counter any claims against you. You pay for their time in and out of court, and often, one spouse pays everyone’s legal bills. Effectively, they are hiring another attorney to build a case against them.

With mediation, you typically pay only for your time with the mediator. A more complicated divorce may require multiple sessions and additional preparation on the part of the mediator, but the overall expense is far less than it would be if both parties hired separate attorneys.

Mediation Saves Time

In a courtroom trial, you must wait on your attorney to conduct their investigations and build their arguments. Then you must attend court, and you will probably go several times. The entire process can take months or even years.

Mediation lasts only as long as it takes to agree on the issues. Typically, mediation lasts between two to four hours, but you may need to go back once or twice to settle more complicated matters. After you come to terms, your mediator prepares your agreements and the other documents required by the court. You then meet with your mediator one last time to review, revise and finalize your agreements and court documents. Once you submit your signed documents to the court, they will process your paperwork and then schedule a short 5 to 10 minute hearing with a judge or magistrate to approve your agreement and grant your divorce.

Mediation Preserves Your Privacy

Courtroom trials are open to the public and everything you say, and all of your financial records become part of the public record. There are many reasons why you would not want this information disseminated to the public.

Mediations are private. Whatever you stay in mediation stays inside that room. Your agreement contains only the sparse details of your divorce. It will outline your property division, spousal and child support, child custody, and so on. The court approves only this document, so the details of your marriage, separation and divorce can remain private.

Mediation Gives You Agency

In a courtroom trial, you are at the mercy of another person’s decisions. You must follow these rulings to the letter, no matter how unfair they are. Otherwise, you could suffer legal consequences.

Mediation can give you more peace of mind. It allows you to actively agree to every decision. You will need to compromise, and you won’t get everything you wish. However, you also won’t be forced to go along with an outsider’s opinion of what is fair.

Our firm is ready to help with your St. Petersburg divorce. You can schedule time with our divorce mediation attorney online, or you can call us now at (813) 205-6675.