In traditional litigation, both parties have an attorney. Every single issue is decided by the judge. Most issues are separated and handled individually as motions. For example, there may be a motion for child support, which is briefed, filed, and document production is completed.
Then there is the hearing itself. Often that hearing is continued due to lack of total disclosure or the need for more information. On it goes, while both attorneys are billing generously to their clients (you).
Also in litigation, the attorneys escalate issues so that both sides become increasingly polarized. So if you should, say, receive around $1000 per month in support, then your attorney will demand $1800 per month. The other side will say all sorts of bad things about you, and ask the court for $400. The parties then hate each other even more than they thought possible. On it goes, as billing gets higher and higher.
There are also “discovery” costs where both attorneys propound interrogatories, document production and even depositions to the other side. Both sides do this, and again, huge amounts of work need to be done just to keep up.
Contrast all this to mediation, where we can resolve everything by working together, sharing necessary information, and creating solutions that work for BOTH parties. In mediation you pay for one professional, namely the mediator. In litigation you each pay for an attorney.
Also, the filing fee in typical litigation is $870.00 for both parties, paid to the court. But in mediation, the forms now allow for half that to be paid, only $435 total. Further, in mediation, if one of the parties can be considered low income, Mr. Lodge will file in such a way as to avoid all court and filing fees entirely. A legal loophole, where the parties literally pay zero to the courts and instantly save the $870 filing fee.