Process
What are the steps for mediation?
Before we meet with you together, we meet with each of you individually for an intake session (Pre-mediation). This is mandatory, and an opportunity for us to get to know you both individually, to learn what your unique concerns are and to uncover any underlying issues that may present challenges in the mediation. This assists us to proactively tailor the process in a way to best set your family up for success (this is not a one size fits all process).
The number of hours or sessions in a mediation will be unique for every situation. It may be a simple 2 hour session (Joint Mediation) to review the issues that you have agreed upon. It may be several sessions to resolve more complex and/or emotionally charged issues. It always depends on the willingness of the parties to settle, including their cooperation with one another and of course the issues involved. This said, the more issues you agree on, the quicker the process!
After you and your ex have agreed on all the issues, we have reviewed our documents and prepared your separation agreement, we will meet with you again, together, to review the agreement.
How long does mediation take?
Mediation (including intake, mediation and review of separation agreement) could take as little as 6.5 hours or as many as 20 hours. You can expect an average mediation to take anywhere between 12 and 15 hours.
How much does mediation cost?
The average mediation process, without any complex and/or emotionally charged issues, costs $2,250 to $4,500 split between the couple. But court-based divorces can average $24,000 to $90,000 or more per couple. Our model helps our clients work smarter and save money.
Every relationship and every mediation is unique so there is no one-size fits all fee or estimate that can be applied to our mediation process. We review each case and determine the best process for you. We will always provide you with the proper expertise to bring you to a fair, equitable and compassionate agreement. And, of course, we are committed to bringing you the most cost and time effective mediation that your unique set of circumstances presents.
The following fees can be anticipated for your unique circumstances and mediation. Please note that these fees do not include GST.
If you agree on mostly everything:
Estimated costs:
$2,250 to $3,150 total ($1,260 to $1,575 each)
7.5 to 10.5 hours at $300/hour ($150 each)
Estimated process length:
Intake: 45 minutes each | 1.5 hours
Mediation: 2 to 4 hours
Drafting of separation agreement: 3 to 4 hours
Review of separation agreement: 1 hour
If you haven’t agreed on mostly everything, but it’s amicable and not too complicated:
Estimated costs:
$3,750 to $4,650 total cost ($1,875 to $2,325 each)
12.5 to 15.5 hours at $300/hour ($150 each)
Estimated process length:
Intake: 45 minutes each | 1.5 hours
Mediation: 6 to 8 hours
Drafting of separation agreement: 4 to 5 hours
Review of separation agreement: 1 hour
If you haven’t agreed on everything (or anything) and it’s getting complicated or adversarial:
Estimated costs:
Up to $6,000 total (up to $3,000 each)
Up to 20 hours at $300/hour ($150 each)
Estimated process length:
Intake: 1 hour each | 2 hours
Mediation: up to 12 hours
Drafting of separation agreement: 5 hours
Review of separation agreement: 1 hour
These are estimates of the time and money involved. We charge on an hourly basis for your mediation and will always keep you apprised of the time spent. There are no extra or hidden fees included in your mediation and we don’t charge for administrative emails or phone calls.
Who pays for mediation?
The cost of mediation is shared by both of you. If you chose to handle your divorce, separation or the restructuring of your relationship in the more traditional adversarial (legal) manner you could not only expect to pay more than 5 times what you would pay with mediation BUT you would each be responsible for paying your own lawyer – not to mention the time and emotional expense involved in traditional separations and divorces.