Family mediation is a process best suited for low-conflict divorces, particularly if there are children but not a lot of financial assets involved. Both spouses meet with the mediator and negotiate a parenting plan, a financial support plan, and a division of the assets that do exist. 

In a traditional divorce, each spouse hires and pays their own attorney, paying by the hour. Since each spouse has a a different goal, and both attorneys are billing for every minute they work on the case, this gets very expensive overall. 

In a mediation, both spouses are working towards the same goal, and only one attorney is billing for that time, leaving significantly more money for the spouses to keep for themselves when the divorce is finalized. Both spouses are looking for