Going through a divorce is difficult, especially when you have a lot to lose. You have thousands of dollars in assets that you don’t want to divide with your spouse. You want to be treated fairly because you put all your time and money into the lifestyle you share now.
As someone who wants to get as many assets out of divorce as possible, it may be a good idea to discuss mediation and arbitration with your attorney. While you can go to court and have a judge determine the outcome of your case, mediation and arbitration gives you an excellent opportunity to negotiate and work out a solution that you’re happy with.
When you go to court and allow a judge to decide, their decision is often final. If you don’t want to risk the judge ruling in a way that you won’t be happy with, both of the alternative dispute resolution options mentioned above are going to be better options.
With mediation, you and your spouse will talk about your assets and how you would each like to divide them. The mediator will guide the discussion to keep it on track. If you can both work together, then this may be a good way to negotiate a settlement.
On the other hand, if you want to present your case to an arbitrator or judge in a less-formal situation, arbitration could be better for you. You and your spouse would present your cases much like at trial, but the arbitrator would come up with a decision regarding your property division or other issues.
Either one of these options may be good for you, depending on the specifics of your case. Our website has more on mediation and arbitration for those going through divorce.