In divorce mediation, both spouses meet together with a neutral, impartial, trained professional mediator who helps them come to a mutually acceptable agreement on issues of parenting (child custody), division of marital assets and debts, child support, and/or spousal support (alimony). Divorcing couples make decisions for themselves by directly communicating with one another in private and keep control over their own divorce process.
The divorce mediator at Westfield Mediation, LLC flexes their hours to best meet their client’s needs. Meetings are scheduled by appointment only. The office hours are different each day, including evening hours. Virtual appointments are available. The office is conveniently located in downtown Scotch Plains, Union County, close to Middlesex, Essex and Somerset Counties.
At Westfield Mediation, LLC, we charge an hourly rate that is paid at the end of each divorce mediation session. No retainer is required. Our rate is $300/hour. We accept cash, checks, Zelle, Venmo, or credit cards (there is a 3.5% processing fee for credit cards). The average cost of a divorce at Westfield Mediation, LLC, is between $3,000 and $4,500, in total, not per person. A litigated divorce costs an average of $78,000, and still parties end up settling before trial 98% of the time. Divorce mediation can save you a significant amount of money.
Yes. We offer both virtual and in person meetings. You can decide which option works best for the both of you for each meeting. All parties will meet either in person at the office or virtually on Zoom.
Westfield Mediation, LLC offers a one-time consult with a divorce mediator for one person, if your spouse refuses to attend. This consult allows you to gather information about mediation and the divorce process. The meeting is 30 minutes and costs $150. On-going divorce mediation requires both parties to attend meetings, so you can make joint decisions about your futures.
Divorce mediators are neutral and do not take sides. Having a neutral third person in the room changes the dynamic of the conversation. The mediator takes control of the conversation and guides each party into participating. Each party can contribute to making decisions for their new futures. Zoom meetings is a nice option that allows people to be on the same screen without being in the same room, which provides some people the distance they need to feel comfortable participating in divorce mediation.
We recommend that each party hire a review attorney to use as a legal consultant. A review attorney is a divorce attorney acting in a more limited role. The review lawyer can inform you of your legal rights, review the final divorce agreement, and file the divorce documents in court. We provide our clients with a list of mediation-friendly review attorneys to make the process easier, or you can find your own. When using mediation, you use your lawyer more as a legal adviser instead of a divorce attorney, which can save you thousands of dollars and help minimize stress. Your attorney becomes one part of your divorce team, instead of being the only member of your team. It is legal to not use a divorce attorney at all in New Jersey for your divorce, and instead represent yourself in court. It is called being pro se.
Yes. You can start divorce mediation at any point during a divorce, even if you have already filed paperwork in court or started divorce litigation with a divorce lawyer. A divorce mediator addresses the same issues as a divorce lawyer — child custody, parenting plan, child support, division of marital assets and debts, and spousal support (alimony). In fact, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, we recommend that all of our clients hire divorce attorneys to use as legal advisers and to help file the final paperwork in court. To make it easier, we will give you a list of mediation-friendly divorce attorneys.
Westfield Mediation, LLC is one of the few practices in New Jersey that specializes in divorce mediation. It is all that we do. We provide divorce mediation services in a calm, caring way to our clients. The divorce mediator at Westfield Mediation, LLC is an experienced, trained professional who is committed to helping their clients reach an agreement.
