Cost Analysis
Mediation v. Litigation with Divorce & Custody
Do you really want to spend your children's college education account, your vacation money, & the full value of your home on your divorce? King Mediation asks you to consider divorce mediation or custody mediation as a lower-cost, lower-stress alternative:
- Mediation
- 2 mediation sessions at 3 hours each, $150 max per hour plus consultation with independent attorneys to review settlement options: $900
- Litigation *
- Low conflict divorce, with some negotiation but uncontested final judgment. Both spouses have attorneys who charge $150 p/ hour: $7,000
- Savings by using Mediation instead of Litigation
- $6,100
- Life beyond divorce
- Trip to Hawaii for two, two weeks all-inclusive package including a room with a view: $5,000
- Time value of money (savings) over 20 years **
- $13,365
- Total savings by using King Medation
- $13,365 - Enough for a new car or boat
- Mediation
- 3 sessions, and consultation with attorneys to review settlement options: $1,650
- Litigation *
- Limited contested divorce case, no children, trial on common financial issues: $19,275
- Savings by using Mediation instead of Litigation
- $17,925
- Life beyond divorce
- 1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow classic automobile, fully refurbished: $15,000
- Time value of money (savings) over 20 years **
- $39,275
- Total savings by using King Medation
- $39,275 - Enough for 2 classic Rolls Royce cars
- Mediation
- 5 sessions, and consultation with attorneys to review settlement options: $2,550
- Litigation *
- Contested divorce case with custody issues which settles right before trial date: $32,100
- Savings by using Mediation instead of Litigation
- $29,850
- Life beyond divorce
- Undergraduate education, 4 years in-state tuition at one of Utah's four major universities: $13,404 (avg.)
- Time value of money (savings) over 20 years **
- $65,405
- Total savings by using King Medation
- $65,405 - Enough to send 4 children to college for an undergrad education
- Mediation
- 6 sessions, and consultation with attorneys to review settlement options: $3,000
- Litigation *
- Fully contested custody case which proceeds to trial: $64,200
- Savings by using Mediation instead of Litigation
- $61,500
- Life beyond divorce
- Law School education, 3 years tuition at University of Utah: $29,238 or BYU: $21,600
- Time value of money (savings) over 20 years **
- $134,754
- Total savings by using King Medation
- $134,754 - Enough to send 4 children to law school and buy each a car
- Mediation
- 8 sessions, and consultation with attorneys to review settlement options: $3,900
- Litigation *
- Fully contested custody & finance issues case with child custody evaluators & forensic valuation experts for business, pensions, etc.: $107,100
- Savings by using Mediation instead of Litigation
- $103,500
- Life beyond divorce
- Nice 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom town home: $102,000
- Time value of money (savings) over 20 years **
- $226,781
- Total savings by using King Medation
- $226,781 - Enough for a town home with enough left over to send 3 children to college and law school.
* Think we've exaggerated the costs of litigation? Consider this quote from one of Los Angeles California's top judges made at a bar association meeting in September 2002: "By the time we see [divorce] cases in court, most people have spent all of their community assets on the divorce itself. By that time, we're just dividing debts and allocating attorney's fees."
** For this calculation, we've used a 4% simple interest rate and subtracted the cost of mediation from the cost of litigation. This figure represents the amount of money you'd save by mediating your divorce instead of litigating, and how much that savings would be worth if you invested it at 4% interest for 20 years.