Mediation Lawyer In Kane, DuPage & Cook County

DIVORCE MEDIATION SERVICES

​

It's never easy to go through a divorce. For many people, this can be one of the most difficult and challenging experiences of their life – mentally, emotionally and financially.  Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the stress and acrimony associated with this process. If you and your spouse can work together collaboratively to arrive at an amicable resolution to your divorce, then you may want to consider mediation as an alternative to a traditional litigated divorce.

Attorney Viviana Ramirez provides a wide range of divorce mediation services to couples in the Chicago area.  She has extensive experience handling divorce matters, and can help you create a balanced and more effective divorce agreement than one achieved through litigation. By choosing mediation, you will also reduce the time and expenses associated with the divorce process, allowing you to move on to the next chapter of your life more quickly and with more money in your bank account.

​

 

WHAT IS DIVORCE MEDIATION

​

Divorce mediation is an alternative to a contested, litigated divorce that can be an ideal option for couples who are willing and able to embrace a third party to assist them in the process of resolving their disagreements. During divorce mediation, you and your spouse will work with a neutral third party, called an attorney-mediator, who will guide you through the process of crafting your divorce agreement.

Your attorney-mediator doesn't represent either party in the divorce and doesn't have the power to make binding decisions. Instead, it's best to view your mediator as a facilitator with legal expertise who will help you and your spouse more collaboratively resolve the issues in dispute at the negotiating table. Ultimately, this is the best way to create an agreement that is fair and sensible for both parties.

Divorce mediation can be used to resolve all of the issues typically addressed in a litigated divorce, including:

​

• Child custody and visitation – If you have young children, working out a fair custody schedule will be one of most important aspects of the divorce mediation process. Our attorney-mediators will keep you focused on arriving at a custody agreement that places the needs and best interests of your children first.

• Child support – The state of Illinois has enacted strict child support guidelines which dictate how much money must be paid each month to the parent with primary child custody. Our attorney-mediators will ensure your agreement reflects these state mandated guidelines.

• Parenting plans – If you have young children, you will need to work with your spouse on a variety of parenting issues until your children reach adulthood. During the mediation process, we will help you create a parenting plan that spells out how these issues will be handled moving forward.

• Alimony/spousal support – Illinois law also establishes guidelines governing spousal support payments. Our attorney-mediators will guide you through this process to ensure your agreement adheres to these state laws.

• Property division – Illinois adheres to the doctrine of equitable distribution, which states that property and assets will be split in an equitable, but not necessarily equal manner. Split Simple's attorney-mediators can guide you through the property division process to ensure your agreement meets the state equitable distribution standards.

 

Keep in mind that you and your spouse don't have to agree on all of these issues at the start of the process. As long as you are willing to work together amicably and collaboratively, you should be able to resolve your differences through mediation.

​

BENEFITS OF DIVORCE MEDIATION

​

You will experience several important benefits when choosing mediation over a traditional divorce.
These include:

​

• Reduces the emotional and financial stress associated with the process

• Provides a more affordable option by reducing legal fees and eliminating court costs

• Facilitates the creation of more child-focused parenting plans which help your children adjust to post-divorce life more easily

• Completes the divorce process in a shorter period of time, allowing you to move on with your life sooner

• Facilitates better communication between you and your spouse, allowing you to develop a process that can be used to more effectively resolve parenting issues down the road

• Helps you and your spouse maintain greater control over the divorce process by empowering you to determine how issues are resolved instead of relying on a judge who isn't familiar with the unique needs of your family

• Encourages a more cooperative, collaborative and respectful atmosphere that provides you with the tools to achieve a more creative resolution to the issues in dispute

• Your dispute will not be part of the public record, keeping the process more confidential

• Allows you to craft a divorce agreement that both parties will find fair