Divorce mediation is the structured, voluntary process that lets two spouses settle their divorce without going to court. A neutral mediator works with both spouses in a confidential setting to reach agreement on every issue a Florida court would otherwise decide: how to divide assets and debts, how to structure parenting time, how to calculate child support, and whether alimony applies.
Charles Geller is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator in Family, Civil, and Appellate Mediation. He has led more than 2,500 mediations across Florida. His caseload includes family, civil, and appellate cases, and most finish in a single 2-4 hour session. Mediation is billed hourly. Most 2-hour cases run about $2,600 in total session and document fees. Most sessions run by Zoom so you can join from home, from work, or from anywhere with a stable internet connection. Florida’s Supreme Court supports virtual mediation under current state guidelines, and Charles serves clients in all 67 Florida counties this way. In-person sessions at the Orlando office are available for couples who prefer that format.
What is divorce mediation in Florida?
Mediation is a private, confidential alternative to litigation. Both spouses meet with one neutral professional, the mediator, who helps them work through the decisions a divorce requires. The mediator does not represent either side, does not give legal advice, and does not impose a result. The agreement is yours, drafted in your words, signed by both of you.
When the session ends with an agreement, the mediator drafts a Marital Settlement Agreement that both spouses sign. That document goes to the court along with the petition for dissolution, and a Florida judge enters the final judgment. There is no contested hearing. No depositions. No trial date.
The American Bar Association’s Family Advocate titled its Fall 2023 feature “Mediation as the Default Approach for Family Dispute Resolution.” Florida treats mediation the same way. According to the Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator, Florida courts held more than 60,000 mediation sessions in fiscal year 2023-24, including roughly 17,954 family mediations.
Why do most Florida couples choose mediation over litigation?
Cost is the most visible reason. The Martindale-Nolo divorce-cost survey found that an uncontested divorce in the United States averages roughly $4,100, while a contested divorce that proceeds to trial averages around $23,300. At ADR Mediation Center, a typical 2-hour mediated divorce runs about $2,600 all in, less than a single attorney retainer in most Florida markets.
Speed is the second reason. A landmark randomized study at the University of Virginia found that mediation “greatly reduced the frequency of custody hearings, allowed settlements to be reached in half the time, and substantially improved the satisfaction reported by parents” compared to the adversary system (Emery & Wyer, 1991, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology). Census data shows the U.S. median time to finalize a divorce is about 13 months, with contested cases routinely running 18 months to several years. Most mediated divorces resolve in 2-6 months once both parties commit to the process.
Long-term outcomes are the third reason, and the one couples often overlook until later. In a 12-year follow-up of families randomly assigned to either mediate or litigate, parents who mediated maintained substantially higher non-residential parent contact, coparenting cooperation, and child involvement than parents who litigated (Emery et al., 2001). Robert Emery and colleagues summarized the body of evidence this way: mediation produces higher settlement rates, faster resolution, greater parent satisfaction, and lasting improvements in coparenting (Emery, Sbarra & Grover, 2005).
How does the process work, start to finish?
The full process has six steps:
- Free 30-minute consultation by Zoom. Both spouses meet with Charles together (or separately, if preferred). The goal of this call is to confirm mediation is the right path and answer your initial questions. There is no obligation to proceed.
- Document exchange. Florida law requires both spouses to exchange mandatory financial disclosure that covers income, assets, debts, and expenses. Charles provides a checklist and reviews submissions before the mediation session.
- Mediation session. Most cases finish in a single 2-4 hour session, with most couples joining by Zoom from home. In-person sessions at the Orlando office are available for couples who prefer that format. Charles facilitates the conversation, identifies areas of agreement, surfaces options for areas of disagreement, and drafts the agreement in real time as terms are settled.
- Marital Settlement Agreement. When the session concludes with an agreement, Charles drafts the Marital Settlement Agreement that captures every term: asset division, parenting plan if applicable, child support, alimony if applicable, and debt allocation.
- Court filing. The signed agreement is filed with the petition for dissolution in the appropriate Florida circuit court. Charles can guide you on filing logistics; for couples without children, this is often a straightforward submission. For couples with minor children, both spouses must also complete a 4-hour parenting course as required by Fla. Stat. § 61.21.
- Final judgment. A Florida judge reviews the agreement and enters the final judgment of dissolution. Most uncontested filings are processed within 30-90 days depending on the county.
What does Florida law require for divorce?
Florida is a no-fault divorce state. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.052, the only ground required is that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” You do not have to prove your spouse did something wrong. One spouse needs to have lived in Florida for at least six months before filing. That is the threshold the law sets. The rest of the divorce (how assets are divided, how parenting time is structured, whether alimony applies) is the substance that mediation resolves.
Florida law sets three statutory frameworks that govern what the final agreement must address:
- Fla. Stat. § 61.075. Equitable distribution of marital assets and liabilities. Florida is an equitable distribution state, not a community property state. Marital property is presumed to be divided equally unless one of seven statutory factors justifies a different split.
- Fla. Stat. § 61.13. Parenting plans and time-sharing. Every Florida divorce involving minor children requires a written parenting plan that addresses parental responsibility, time-sharing schedules, decision-making, and communication.
- Fla. Stat. § 61.30. Child support guidelines. Child support in Florida is calculated by statutory formula based on both parents’ net incomes, the number of overnight time-sharing days, and several adjustments for health insurance, child care, and other costs.
Mediation works within these frameworks. Charles makes sure every agreement is court-ready and statute-compliant.
Is what we say in mediation confidential?
Yes. Florida’s Mediation Confidentiality and Privilege Act (Fla. Stat. § 44.405) makes mediation communications privileged and confidential. The statute provides that “all mediation communications shall be confidential” and that “a mediation participant shall not disclose a mediation communication to a person other than another mediation participant or a participant’s counsel.” The Florida Bar Journal explains that mediation parties have “a privilege to refuse to testify and to prevent any other person from testifying in a subsequent proceeding regarding mediation communications” (Cohen, 2013, The Florida Bar Journal).
What this means in practice: if mediation does not result in an agreement, nothing that was said in the room can be used against either spouse in a later court proceeding. This protection is what allows both spouses to negotiate openly.
How much does mediation cost at ADR Mediation Center?
Mediation is billed by the hour, with a separate flat fee for document preparation. A typical 2-hour case runs about $2,600 all in. Cases that need more session time cost more, because Charles charges only for the time the session actually takes. Couples who finish faster pay less. The initial 30-minute consultation by Zoom is free and does not bill against this. The document-prep fee covers the drafted Marital Settlement Agreement and the Parenting Plan if children are involved. A typical case total falls well below the cost of a single attorney retainer in most Florida markets.
For a full breakdown, see the Pricing page.
When is mediation NOT the right path?
Mediation is the right path for the large majority of Florida divorces. It is not the right path in every case, and saying so directly matters.
Mediation requires both spouses to participate voluntarily and to negotiate from a position of safety. Where there is a history of domestic violence, coercive control, or active intimidation, mediation may not be appropriate. Research has shown that mediators miss domestic violence in roughly 57% of cases that involve it (Beck, Walsh & Weston, 2005). Florida law builds this protection in directly: under Fla. Stat. § 44.102, Florida courts cannot refer a case to mediation if there is a documented history of domestic violence that would compromise the process.
If your situation involves intimate-partner violence, mediation is the wrong path. The free initial consultation is used in part to screen for this. When mediation is not appropriate, Charles refers out.
Mediation also depends on both spouses being willing to share financial information honestly. If one spouse is hiding assets or refuses to disclose income, mediation cannot proceed productively. Litigation provides discovery tools (depositions, subpoenas) that mediation does not.
Why Charles Geller for your divorce mediation?
Charles Geller has been a licensed clinical therapist for more than 30 years and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator for 20 years. He holds Florida Supreme Court certifications in Family, Civil, and Appellate Mediation, which puts him among a small number of Florida mediators certified in all three areas. He is a Diplomate of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators (FAPM), the organization’s top credential. He founded ADR Mediation Center in 2006 and has since led more than 2,500 mediations across Florida, including family, civil, and appellate cases.
The clinical therapy background matters. A 2020 study in the Journal of Mental Health found that recently divorced individuals show substantially elevated rates of anxiety and depression, and that process factors during the divorce explain a meaningful part of those symptoms (Sander et al., 2020). Three decades of clinical training shape how Charles runs the mediation room, particularly when one or both spouses are reaching the session in distress.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Florida divorce mediation take?
Most cases finish in a single 2-4 hour session. From your first call to a court-ready agreement, the timeline typically runs 30-60 days. Compare that to Florida’s contested divorce timeline, which routinely runs 12-24 months or longer. Speed depends on two factors: how prepared both spouses are with financial disclosure, and how aligned they already are on the major decisions. Couples who arrive with documents ready and an open mindset usually finish in one session.
What happens if my spouse and I do not agree on everything going in?
That is the normal starting point. Most couples who arrive at mediation disagree on something, sometimes on multiple major items. Mediation is the process for working through those disagreements. Charles surfaces the options, walks through how Florida law would apply, and helps both spouses see where compromise is possible. Settlement rates in mediation are high because the process is designed for couples who do not yet agree on everything.
Is a mediated agreement legally binding?
Yes, once it is signed by both spouses and entered as a final judgment by a Florida court. The Marital Settlement Agreement that Charles drafts is the binding contract; the court’s final judgment of dissolution gives it the force of a court order. You can return to court to enforce the agreement the same way you would enforce any divorce decree.
What if my spouse refuses to mediate?
Mediation is voluntary. If one spouse refuses to participate, mediation cannot proceed. That said, two things are worth knowing. First, Florida courts often refer divorce cases to mediation under Fla. Stat. § 44.102 even after litigation has started, so the option remains open later. Second, reluctance often stems from misunderstanding what mediation is. The free 30-minute consultation is sometimes the right venue to address a reluctant spouse’s questions directly.
Do I need a lawyer if I mediate?
You are not required to have a lawyer to mediate or to file an uncontested divorce in Florida. Many couples mediate without attorneys. Some couples choose to have an attorney review the Marital Settlement Agreement before signing. This is sometimes called a “consulting attorney” arrangement. Charles is not an attorney and does not give legal advice; he is a neutral mediator. If you want legal advice about your specific situation, an attorney is the right professional to consult.
What is confidential and what is not?
Communications during mediation are confidential and privileged under Fla. Stat. § 44.405. What you say in the room cannot be used against you in court. The final signed Marital Settlement Agreement is filed with the court and becomes part of the public record, the same as any divorce decree. Statutory exceptions to mediation confidentiality include disclosures of ongoing or threatened crimes, child abuse or neglect, and elder abuse. Those mandatory-reporting situations are not protected by the privilege.
How much does divorce mediation cost in Florida?
Florida divorce-mediation firms commonly publish total ranges of $3,000-$8,000 for full mediated dissolution, compared to $15,000-$40,000 per spouse for litigated cases. At ADR Mediation Center, a typical 2-hour mediated case runs about $2,600 all in (mediation billed hourly, plus a flat document-prep fee that covers the Marital Settlement Agreement). The free 30-minute initial consultation does not bill against this. See the Pricing page for the full breakdown.
When is mediation NOT the right path?
Three situations make mediation the wrong fit: an active history of domestic violence or coercive control (Florida law itself excludes these cases under § 44.102); a spouse hiding assets or refusing financial disclosure; or a spouse who is unwilling to participate voluntarily. The free initial consultation screens for these issues. If mediation is not appropriate, Charles will say so directly and refer out.
Can we mediate if we live in different parts of Florida?
Yes. Virtual mediation lets you settle your divorce from home, from your office, or from anywhere with a stable internet connection. Florida’s Supreme Court supports virtual mediation under current state guidelines, and ADR Mediation Center serves clients in all 67 Florida counties this way. The full process (consultation, mediation session, document drafting, follow-up) can be conducted virtually. A 2020 randomized trial in the Journal of Family Psychology found that structured online divorce intervention significantly reduced anxiety and depression compared to a control group (Hald et al., 2020). Virtual mediation works.
What if we have minor children?
Every Florida divorce involving minor children requires a written parenting plan that complies with Fla. Stat. § 61.13 and a child support calculation that follows Fla. Stat. § 61.30. Mediation handles both. For more detail, see the Parenting Plans page. Both parents will also need to complete a 4-hour court-approved parenting course under Fla. Stat. § 61.21.
What about retirement accounts, real estate, and businesses?
These are handled within the equitable distribution framework of Fla. Stat. § 61.075. Marital portions of retirement accounts often require a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) for proper division; real estate requires decisions about sale, refinance, or buyout; closely held businesses may require valuation. Charles has handled these in many of the 2,500+ mediations he has run. For depth on the asset side, see the Asset Division page.
What happens after we sign the agreement?
The signed Marital Settlement Agreement is filed with the petition for dissolution in the appropriate Florida circuit court. The court reviews the agreement and, for uncontested matters, typically enters the final judgment within 30-90 days depending on the county. Once the final judgment is entered, the divorce is complete and the agreement is enforceable.
Related services
- Parenting Plans. Florida parenting plans, time-sharing schedules, and child support
- Asset Division. equitable distribution under Fla. Stat. § 61.075
- Family Agreements. prenuptial, postnuptial, separation, and cohabitation agreements
- How It Works. the step-by-step process
- Pricing. full pricing breakdown
Most Florida divorces settle in one session. Book a free 30-minute consultation by Zoom to see if mediation is right for you.