The Law Offices of
Dawn K. Gull

Providing Family Law Representation In Allegheny And Butler Counties

Dawn K. Gull

Mediation vs. the trial process in high-asset divorces

by | Feb 2, 2018 | Divorce |

If you find yourself facing a financially complex divorce, knowing your options before you embark on the journey of marital dissolution can help. Each couple is unique in the length of marriage, children involved and overall status of financial assets accumulated. High asset divorces are no different.

The ease or difficulty of your divorce process can depend on the cooperation of the other person and the manner in which you choose to end ties. Mediation and trial divorces are two popular and different ways of going about a divorce. Securing yourself with trusted legal oversight in either scenario is vital when avoiding costly pitfalls in final decisions that affect your financial future and custody outcomes.

What the mediation process offers

Mediation allows a third-party legal professional to listen to the arguments made by each lawyer of a divorcing couple and help facilitate agreements to various aspects related to the divorce. The ease in which agreements are made are often determined by the communication and understanding of the matters by the third-party involved. For example, a third-party attorney must be able to understand the litigation common to high-asset cases in order to assess the situation fairly.

When this is accomplished, mediation offers divorcing couples the ability to:

  • Speed up the divorce process
  • Maintain control over outcomes
  • Allow privacy from the public
  • Avoid lengthy and embittered arguments

Trial divorces are more difficult but sometimes necessary

A trial divorce process is known for being a longer and more difficult process for everyone involved. The sought after outcomes are argued by either side and ultimately a judge determines what results will follow. Divorces that are not mutual from the start tend to instigate disbelief, resistance moving forward and attempts to seek retribution using the finances and children involved. Trial divorces allows complex financial assets to be broken down by expert analysis to help determine what is fair for both parties involved.

Divorce is rarely easy to navigate emotionally and logistically. However, depending on the amount of cooperation between you and your soon to be ex-spouse and what you are seeking to get out of it, you could find yourself in either a mediation divorce or a trial process.

Either way, high-asset cases raise the need for careful assessment from a team of qualified legal professionals. Weigh your pro’s and con’s for each option and move forward in whichever direction supports your goals.