Avoid the Costly Court Process: Divorce Mediation
The moment you tell someone you are planning to get divorced, you are likely to hear “Time to lawyer up!” But is there a better way? Is it possible to get a divorce in Minnesota without a long and expensive court process? YES!
First, some back story: Many years ago, my marriage ended when I had 3 kids under the age of 10. I was terrified and had no idea where to turn. I hired a lawyer and went the court route because that was all I knew to do at the time. Our divorce wasn’t final until 4 years after we separated, and those 4 years were tumultuous, including countless professionals. Off the top of my head, I am remembering that we had:
3 attorneys
5 therapists
4 mediators
2 custody evaluators
A domestic abuse advocate
And even 2 different judges!
This doesn’t even include the parenting consultant and a few more therapists we had post-decree. As you might imagine, all of that cost each of us tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention stress, sleepless nights, and harm to both of us and our children. And at the end of the day, the level of conflict was the same or worse compared to when we started the divorce process. We walked away with a thick decree, but no real resolution to the conflict, communication strategies, or a co-parenting plan.
All of it was ugly.
I thought there had to be a better way to support families through this massive transition.
Enter Restorative Family Mediation.
As a restorative mediator who handles divorces, my top 2 priorities are:
Treat each family with kindness, compassion, and respect, just like I would like my own family to be treated, and
Use my knowledge of the family courts, both professionally and personally, to walk couples expertly and compassionately through the transition of divorce so that they can be confident in building a healthy and secure future for their families.
When we work together on your divorce case, you can expect a series of 2 hour mediation sessions in which we work through both the issues that are statutorily required AND the ones I routinely see people in my office for with post-decree conflict. I try to get ahead of that and craft a solid memorandum to lessen the chances of post-decree conflict and instead ensure a peaceful future for your family in this new chapter. Throughout our journey, I may refer you to other professionals in my vast network as necessary to support you through specific aspects of the process. At the end, I will provide you with a Memorandum of Agreement containing all of the work we did together. You can use that to file with the courts either on your own or with the help of attorneys. Don’t worry, I know some phenomenal attorneys if you decide to go that route!
I do not sugarcoat things. Divorce is never fun and I will not pretend it is. But it absolutely does not have to be the awful nightmare my own family experienced inside the Minnesota family court system. I am on a mission in life to protect other families from the hurt my family experienced, and I would be honored to walk the divorce journey with you if you have found yourself in that difficult spot.
Please reach out today to discuss if us working together is the right fit for your family.
By Rachel Kennedy
