Around the world, marriage is a universal institution that is designed by tradition to unite a man and woman into household that can raise children. This is still true today, and some nations have also legalized same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriages are often known to adopt children. But divorce is also more common today, and many Americans are seeking to end their marriages or one reason or another. Some divorces are high-stakes and messy, and may involve hiring divorce lawyers and a divorce attorney, or even child custody lawyers too. In other cases, the spouses might look up divorce mediators, such as for smaller-scale divorces that don’t call for lawyers and an expensive court case. This is why someone might look online for help, such as “mediation services divorce” or more specifically, “mediation services divorce near me.” Looking up “mediation services divorce” allows a person to get a neutral third party on board who will over see their divorce.
Why Divorce Happens
Many statistics are kept and surveys are being done to track marriage and divorce alike in the United States alike, and all this data has allowed some trends and patterns to emerge. There are several common reasons why Americans are seeking divorce, and the top reason is infidelity, when one spouse is unfaithful to the other one. Catching your spouse cheating can deal a serious emotional blow, and both men and women might cheat, though not always for the same reasons. If marriage counseling cannot fix the situation, then divorce may very well be the next step, if not a legal separation.
Meanwhile, drug or alcohol abuse is another common reason for divorce, especially if the substance abuser is refusing to get help. Someone abusing such substances may cause serious financial strain on the household, lose their job, and have a change in personality. And of course, a spouse may also be abusive toward other members of their household, with or without the influence of drugs and alcohol. Abuse can be verbal, violent, or even sexual in nature, and may cause the victim spouse and their children to relocate elsewhere during the divorce process.
Not all divorces are so dramatic, however. Some Americans want to end their marriage because they realize that the two spouses are personally incompatible, or that they have very different lifestyles or spending habits. Often, these low-key divorces may call for mediators rather than full-on lawyers and divorce court.
Settling the Divorce
As mentioned earlier, a low-drama divorce with relatively few assets to fight over may not require the expenses and time of a divorce court and divorce attorneys. Instead, a spouse can look up “mediation services divorce near me” and find a company that offers mediators to help. A mediator is not a lawyer; rather, a mediator acts as a neutral third party who will draw out good ideas from each spouse and encourage them to produce fair and productive ideas for the divorce. After all, the two spouses are negotiating the divorce themselves, and they may need a third party to keep things fair and running smoothly. The spouses may, with the mediator’s help, decide on who will live where and who will own which assets and bank accounts from the divorce. The mediator will not offer their own ideas or advice unless asked first.
Having a divorce mediated is also cheaper and more private than hiring lawyers and going through court, something that may be greatly appealing. Low-key divorces can be handled just fine this way, though bigger ones may indeed require lawyers. In this case, a spouse may look up local divorce law firms and hire an attorney, then file the paperwork to start this process. The other spouse may be likely to hire their own lawyer, and the spouses will (through these lawyers) battle over assets in the marriage. This may include bank accounts, family jewelry, cars or RVs, the house, a vacation home, or even a privately owned business in some cases. If children under age 18 are involved, the parents may hire child custody lawyers to negotiate that, too. If the child is age 12 or over, he or shy may privately speak with the case’s judge about their preferences on where they live after the divorce.
