Articles from Michael Becker
Celebrities Mediate, Too!
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship, dating back to the early 2000’s has been one of the most public love stories in Hollywood. And when they recently got divorced, they chose a more private and pragmatic approach: mediation.
No doubt, they could have afforded to hire armies of attorneys to fight it out for years publicly in the courts and the media with sensational headlines. But they didn’t.
Instead, their complicated, multimillion-dollar divorce was settled in just four months — by using a mediator. And they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, which made things even more complicated. The divorce involved their $68 million Beverly Hills mansion, as well as earnings from various films, business ventures and endorsement deals.
Mediation cuts the cost, conflict and delay of divorce. In mediation, a neutral professional guides both spouses to mutually agreeable solutions, most often resulting in a smoother, more efficient, less costly and less contentious process.
Their decision to handle the situation with maturity, respect, privacy — and at much less emotional and financial cost — has become increasingly common for high-profile couples who want to resolve their divorces without a lengthy public court fight. As of the time of this writing, Lopez and Affleck have submitted a comprehensive settlement agreement to the court and await a judge’s approval.
This high-profile case is a reminder of the value of mediation — finding peaceful divorce settlements, even for wealthy celebrities who are in the public eye with complex cases.