The Truth About Mediation vs. Divorce Litigation
Video Transcript
Mediation settles about 70–80% of divorce cases and typically costs less and finishes faster than litigation. In New York, mediation is private and cooperative, while litigation is public, slower, and more adversarial. This article explains the real tradeoffs, red flags, and when each option makes sense.
Bill Leininger – Divorce Mediation Attorney – Staten Island, New York
So, I went to law school, and I went into family law because I wanted to help people. And to see what we were doing, lawyers were intentionally or inadvertently, depending upon how bad of a human being they were, they wanted to pour salt on the wounds to make money.
At that time, I’ll never forget, we had a very aggressive attorney on Staten Island, and I called him up. I said, “Bob, don’t you think this case has lingered long enough now? It’s about a year old. Can’t we settle this case?”
And he said to me, “I can’t settle the case now.”
Why?
And I said, “why, Bob?”
And he said, “my, my deck has to be paid for out in the Hamptons on Long Island.”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
Oh, my word.
Bill Leininger – Divorce Mediation Attorney – Staten Island, New York
And I said to myself, what a piece of crap that he would put his pure financial gains – we don’t want to get paid for the work we do, but to drag out the harm to that family just so that he can pay for his debt, and I don’t mean to say all lawyers are that way.