Why is mediation so much less expensive?

Litigation costs pile up because each spouse hires a separate attorney, and those attorneys bill by the hour, typically $450 to $750 (and higher) per hour in New Jersey, for every letter, motion, discovery request, and court appearance. Mediation replaces that adversarial back-and-forth with a shared, neutral process. One professional guides both of you toward an agreement, so you're paying for resolution rather than for a fight.