Michele Martin, financial advisor and divorce mediator, has launched Divorce Agree, a business offering divorce mediation services in Malta. 

More divorcing couples are choosing non-adversarial and cost-effective mediation over traditional litigated divorce. In New York, a divorce that goes to trial can cost upward of $50,000 or more, whereas a mediated divorce might cost between $2,000 and $7,000. Mediation also affords the couple control over the divorce process and allows creative solutions to problems that might otherwise be decided by a judge. Mediation can also help couples avoid the animosity so common in divorce.

 “I believe the way a couple handles its divorce dictates the tone of the rest of the pair’s lives,” Martin said. “My ex-husband and I mediated our divorce several years ago, and today, we have a very amicable relationship and are partners in parenting our son, and I attribute much of that to the fact that we mediated our divorce. I am excited to assist couples achieve the best possible outcome for their family.”

Divorce mediation, when pursued, has a 90 percent success rate in coming to settlement agreements that keep couples out of court. Also, studies show that mediated agreements are likelier to be honored by the parties than litigated settlements. Because of this, more and more courts in the United States are ordering couples try mediation before taking their divorce to the courts.

Prior to training to become a divorce mediator, Martin spent 20 years in the financial services industry, and she holds the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) designation. A CDFA assists clients to understand how the financial decisions made today will impact their financial future.

“My background as a financial advisor is an added benefit to my clients in creating financial solutions that afford both parties the ability to remain on a solid financial footing post-divorce,” Martin said.

She offers couples a free consultation to educate them on mediation as well as the other options. Divorce Agree is located in Malta Commons Business Park, which is convenient to divorcing couples from all over the greater Capital District and North Country including Saratoga, Warren, Albany and Schenectady counties. The phone number is 813-6098, and Divorce Agree can be found on the Web at www.divorceagree.com. 

--Jennie