Mediation
Fee
Options

More Fee Options = Less Divorce Stress

“We’re here to minimize your stress. If you qualify for our flat fee option, you will have less stress because you won’t have to worry about an unknown total cost of the divorce. We changed how divorces were being done with our flat fee program 20 years ago. We are still the only mediation firm with a true flat fee option.”

OLD Way – Until Common Ground started to offer divorce services, all other divorce mediators and attorneys followed the traditional retainer model. The retainer model requires an upfront amount around $2,500 on the low end and $10,000 on the high end for more experienced attorneys.

A detailed accounting of every phone call, email, text, or any time spent on your case is tracked and that retainer is depleted. Your attorney will require you to  replenish the account or they may stop work on your case.

After the divorce is over the total bill will be MUCH more that the original retainer (the average total cost is $15,000 per person–$30,000 per divorce). Often clients are never told this by their attorney. They are left to think that the retainer will be the TOTAL cost of the divorce service. They are shocked to learn later that additional checks need to be written to keep the case going.

OUR Way- We listened to our clients and learned that the unknown fear of how much a divorce will cost is one of the most stressful parts. We spent the last 26 years developing a unique and personalized process that allows us to measure the complexity of the case before we even start. That allows us to make very accurate predictions about how long a divorce will take and how much it will cost. We were the first mediators in the country to offer FLAT FEE divorce services. There are some cases that have so much conflict and drama that we simply can not risk offering a flat fee but by far most of our clients qualify for our flat fee program. The fee is determined after an online Divorce Complexity Assessment is completed. Then the mediator will speak with the couple and observe their behaviors in person. The flat fee varies depending on the complexity of the situation, but the cost is the total cost, NOT per person. This cost includes all of the document preparation costs and you are not charged for extra mediation time or phone calls or emails or texts. You will not find an attorney that will even consider a flat fee.

If you are more comfortable paying an hourly fee, then that is available. The hourly rate depends on the experience level of the mediator. Normally that will be anywhere from $150.00 to $350 per hour. There are additional professionals that will be involved in your case to include documents preparers and case managers that have a lower hourly fee of $100 per hour.

“How confident are we in our ability to get you through your divorce with out going to court? So confident ee will guarantee our services. If we can’t get you to an agreement then we refund your money! “

In addition to our flat fee option we also offer our “Flat Fee Guarantee”. If you need the added peace of mind that mediation is really going to work then you will like this option. If you follow our process and are still not able to reach an agreement then we refund your money. It is that simple. You must let the mediator know that you are interested in this feature and the mediator will determine if you case qualifies for this program.

To get an online estimate of how long your divorce will take and how much it will cost using attorneys and how much lower that cost will be if you mediate then try our online divorce cost calculator.

The first step to getting your divorce completed is to provide us information using our free Divorce Cost Calculator which will help us to determine the level of conflict and the level of complexity you case has.  Our mediation team will review your calculator results and contact you to schedule a consultation. This consultation can be either done in our office or with a video conference or over the phone. Your on you way to having your divorce completed in a matter of weeks and for a fraction of the cost of going to court but most importantly it will be be fair. It will be done right.

WE ARE THE ONLY MEDIATION FIRM THAT GUARANTEES OUR SERVICES.

Start your free consultation today.

Your no-obligation consultation allows you to get through divorce or mediation faster and at a lower cost compared to other providers.