
CHOOSE A BETTER WAY TO
END YOUR MARRIAGE
A high-conflict divorce could cost a couple tens of thousands of dollars. The average divorce in Ohio is over $15,000 per person, and the average time in the court system is a year to a year and a half. Litigation is expensive, time-consuming, and stressful. Litigation also does not allow the parties to work together, especially if there are children involved. Instead, litigation pits the parties against one another and prepares them for battle.
Divorcing spouses should be aware that there are alternatives to messy litigation. Mediation is usually less expensive and takes much less time. The average cost of mediation is $3000 and the process takes about 6-8 weeks.
Divorce Mediation
Divorce mediation could be a solution for you and your spouse if you want to settle the terms of your divorce, if you want to have some control over the process, and if you want to think outside the box in order to come to an agreement.
Ordinarily, a series of mediation sessions are set up that both parties will attend. In these sessions, the parties will work with the neutral third-party mediator to divide assets and debts, work out a parenting plan and understand if there will be an exchange of support and what that will look like. The mediator will assist the parties in brainstorming solutions. The mediator will assist in facilitating communication between the spouses and guide the parties to reach a resolution.
Couples usually find success with mediation and are able to draw up an agreement that they can take to court. Mediation is a successful process and has many advantages.
About Anna Petronzio
Anna M. Petronzio, a Cleveland, Ohio collaborative and mediation divorce attorney, co-founded Petronzio Schneier Co., LPA in 1993 after graduating from Catholic University of America (B.A. 1990), Suffolk University Law School (J.D. 1993) and John Carroll University (M.A. 1999). Anna is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar, the Geauga County Bar, the Justinian Form and she practices in Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties. Anna is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and a founding member of the Cleveland Academy of Collaborative Professionals (CACP).
Anna concentrates her divorce practice in Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties as a collaborative and mediation divorce lawyer.
Anna provides legal advice and represents the position of her clients in negotiations and court hearings. Traditional litigation may be as simple as negotiating a settlement for a friendly dissolution to litigating and negotiating for a messy divorce. Many times parties have issues with child custody, child support, and spousal support after their divorce or dissolution or are dissatisfied with the court outcome. Anna counsels clients on these post decree issues and seeks modification of the terms of the post-judgment orders.
Anna is a certified family law mediator who successfully has acted as a neutral third party in many mediations over the past 20 years. She has assisted divorcing parties to reach agreements that have met the needs of both parties without the financial and emotional costs associated with protracted legal proceedings.
In the collaborative process, Anna and another collaborative trained attorney work together in an out-of-court, creative problem-solving process. This is a non-adversarial process where the parties fully disclose all relevant information and act in good faith in all settlement negotiations. The parties all communicative with one another in a structured process allowing for innovative solutions to the parties’ problems. This flexible approach attempts to empower the parties to reach their own agreement, without involvement of the Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
The mediator will set up a number of mediation sessions which both parties attend. In these sessions, the family law mediator will review your assets, your debts, your income and help you figure out the details of your divorce. The mediator is a neutral party who will assist in facilitating communication between you and your spouse and will encourage you to both listen to each other’s side. In the end, the mediator assists you in dividing up assets and debts, so both parties get an equitable share.
Additionally, the divorce mediation attorney will assist you in coming up with a parenting plan for your minor children, and an exchange of support, if needed.
The mediator will help you check out other post-divorce details of your life. It’s not just about property and debt — issues, such as, child custody, child support and spousal support will be discussed in mediation, too.
The mediation lawyer is a neutral party, and she will assist you in brainstorming solutions that will work for your family. Many couples find success with mediation, and they draw up an agreement that they then take to court, making it legally binding.
Contact Anna