Is Divorce Mediation Right for You? How to ask the right questions

Uncontested Divorce Mediation

Posted November 25, 2025

When approaching the subject of divorce, a good plan is important to see good results. Everyone today knows that diving into a litigious divorce is a good way for things to spiral out of control. This is why many separating spouses seek divorce mediation instead of a combative lawyer-vs-lawyer experience where a judge gets the final say.

In divorce mediation, you can work together to find the most mutually beneficial divorce terms. Mediation tends to result in fairer and more practical divisions of assets, a more thoughtful child custody plan, and the ability to resolve conflicts in the process of separating households. Of course, you probably have a few questions before you get started. 

At Split Simple, we’re ready to answer any questions you might have. Most of our clients have a few questions, and we have answers ready to go. Here are some of the most practical questions you may want to ask.  

1) How Long Does Divorce Mediation Take?

Divorce mediation can take as little or as much time as you need. Every mediation service is a little different. At Split Simple, we have streamlined the process to help you hit all the important points and draft a satisfactory divorce agreement as quickly as possible.

Believe it or not, most of our clients can achieve a complete divorce mediation process within two to six hours of direct work with one of our skilled attorney-mediators. Meditations take place in two-hour sessions, and even complex divorces rarely take more than three sessions, or six hours total going over assets, custody, and separation terms.

Of course, if you have a particularly difficult estate to separate or conflicts to resolve, you can book as many sessions as you need. Our efficient yet attentive approach to mediation can help you resolve any challenges quickly, keeping your costs streamlined and fixed as a result.

2) Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer In Addition to Divorce Mediation?

Every mediator at Split Simple is also a licensed divorce attorney. Our attorney-mediators make it possible to work out the terms of your divorce through mediation and draft a divorce agreement at the same time. An attorney-mediator offers two important advantages for clients seeking an efficient divorce mediation. First, each mediator is acutely aware of Colorado divorce law, and can therefore ensure that the mediated terms align with both your needs and the legal requirements for a Colorado divorce. 

Second, your divorce can be finalized as soon as mediation is complete. We provide you with all the documents necessary to finalize your divorce with Colorado courts. This means that you do not need to hire a lawyer to finalize the paperwork in addition to divorce mediation. 

At the same time, after each mediation session you will receive a summary of items discussed, including proposed asset and debt division, parenting plans and cash flow estimates. In addition, you will receive a draft of your court documents to review prior to your Final Document Review Session. This makes it easy to forward information to your attorney to review as you go through our divorce mediation process. 

However, not all divorce mediators are attorney-mediators. If you seek divorce mediation outside of Split Simple, it is possible you will need a lawyer to draft and finalize your divorce agreement so that it will be accepted by the court.

3) Can Divorce Mediation Work if One Spouse is Out of State?

Legally, only one spouse needs to be in the state for divorce mediation. In order to conduct a divorce in Colorado, at least one spouse needs to live in the state. As long as one spouse is a registered resident of Colorado, the other spouse can be located out of state, temporarily or permanently, during divorce mediation sessions.

What if the out-of-state spouse can’t travel to attend divorce mediation sessions? There was a time when having both spouses present was necessary, but this is no longer the case. Modern virtual meeting technology makes it possible to conduct a face-to-face divorce mediation session even if one or both spouses cannot make it into the office. Split Simple has been able to conduct remote mediation sessions for several years, so we can meet your schedule needs even if one or both spouses cannot attend in person.

4) Can Divorce Mediation Help with a Difficult Asset Split?

Some consider divorce mediation to only be for divorces that are easy and amicable. Others seek divorce mediation to handle the most challenging conflicts between spouses and difficult-to-separate assets. At Split Simple, we are here for all types of divorces. If your divorce is simple, we’ll have an agreement ready to go in one two-hour session. But if your estate is more difficult to split due to complex, jointly owned assets or extreme conflicts, we’re here to help you disentangle in the most effective way possible.

In other words, divorce mediation can help you with a difficult asset split. Whether you and your spouse own a business together, share joint property, have complex investments, or are conflicted about how to separate your estate, we can help you achieve an even and fair separation along the most practical lines.

5) Can I Bring Other People / Experts Into the Mediation Process?

Sometimes, clients want to bring in experts, confidants, or consultants into the mediation process. You may want to bring in your personal lawyer, your investment manager, or other consultant. It is possible to bring other people into divorce mediation with consent from all parties prior to the mediation session. In addition, with agreement from both parties your mediator can consult with the additional person separately from the joint sessions between separating spouses in order to collect their input for consideration when mediating divorce agreement terms.

6) What is the Best Way to Prepare for Divorce Mediation?

We like to help clients approach divorce mediation in the most efficient way possible. To do this, it helps if you prepare a few things before each session. Start by reviewing and itemizing your assets, including all property, valuable possessions, investments, bank accounts, savings, and investments. Our Mediation Checklist will help you determine the important information to gather. Determine what is owned individually outside the marriage, such as pre-marital assets and inheritance, and have a discussion before the session on your preferences for how to divide assets when it comes up during mediation.

It can also help to prepare yourself emotionally to approach the process with a calm and logical demeanor. The best divorce agreements are those that objectively leave both spouses with the resources and financial structure necessary to start new lives apart from each other. Preparing yourself to focus on this goal can help you get the best results from each mediation session.