Litigated divorce can be quite expensive, as it requires more time in court than an uncontested divorce. Spouses have to pay court costs in addition to paying for their legal representation.
While high-profile and successful professionals can typically absorb the cost of a litigated divorce, they may still want to look at alternative ways of approaching the end of a marriage. Many high-profile professionals choose mediation instead of litigation. They try to work cooperatively with their spouses outside of the courts so that they can pursue an uncontested filing.
Why do people who can easily absorb the cost of a litigated divorce choose to put in more work to achieve an uncontested divorce instead?
Litigated divorces are public record
Individuals who are in high-profile positions never know who might want insight into their personal lives and finances. Subordinates, competitors, journalists and even nosy neighbors might want to hear about the drama that led to a divorce or review the various resources and debts the spouses accumulated.
Information presented in court during a litigated divorce is potentially accessible to others as part of the public record. Claims of marital misconduct and financial disclosures can end up causing reputation damage for professional athletes, local newscasters and others who are in high-profile positions.
Mediation helps protect those who are subject to public scrutiny by keeping the terms of their divorce negotiations confidential. Mediation is a private process that occurs outside of the court system. The spouses have an opportunity to review financial matters and misconduct at length if necessary, without those details becoming public record.
Typically, only the final agreement that the spouses sign, affirming the terms that they have set, becomes part of the public record after successful divorce mediation sessions. Mediation, possibly as part of a collaborative divorce, can help protect the privacy and public reputation of the spouses.
It is also worth noting that those with complex resources and demanding professions often require more nuance when establishing custody orders and property division terms. Mediation empowers people to focus on what matters most to them and compromise on other issues to settle things as amicably as possible with their spouses.
Discussing divorce priorities and options, including divorce mediation, can help people take control of a high-asset divorce. Those in the public eye may find mediation and similar divorce alternatives particularly attractive when preparing for divorce.