Clear Parting Docs vs a divorce mediator in New Jersey
Mediation and Clear Parting Docs are not competitors — mediation is how you reach agreement, and Clear Parting Docs is what you file once you have one. When to use which, and when both.
What a divorce mediator is
A mediator is a neutral third person who helps two people negotiate. They decide nothing and represent no one. New Jersey builds mediation into its court process under R. 1:40, and private mediators are widely available before anything is filed.
- Produces an agreement, not a court packet — you still have to prepare and file the documents
- Typically billed hourly and split between the couple
- New Jersey's court economic-mediation program covers an initial period of the mediator's time at no charge after filing
- The right tool when you agree in principle but keep stalling on specifics
Side by side
| a divorce mediator | Clear Parting Docs | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | An agreement, and a way to reach it | Both: mediation to reach the agreement, then the complete court packet built from it |
| Price structure | Hourly, usually split | $299, or $399 with children, once per couple, no renewal |
| Two spouses | Both in the room | Two accounts, one case: each spouse signs only their own documents, and one-per-litigant forms are kept per person |
| Legal advice | None — a mediator is neutral, even when a lawyer | None. Software that records your decisions; a named New Jersey firm you can engage directly for any piece that needs judgment |
| After you file | Not their job | Deadline clock from your real filing dates, the 35-day window, judgment tracking, the after-divorce checklist |
Choose a divorce mediator when
- You agree on most things but two or three keep stalling
- One of you has always handled the money and the other does not yet know what there is
- The parenting schedule is the sticking point
- A house, a pension or a business is in play and you need help structuring the trade
Choose Clear Parting Docs when
- You have already decided everything and need it turned into a filed New Jersey case
- You came out of mediation with an agreement and now need the packet around it
- You want a fixed price for the paperwork rather than another hourly bill
The honest verdict
Mediate if you are not there yet; file once you are. That is the cheapest complete path in New Jersey for a case with real things to work out — and you can now do both here: a neutral mediator through Gray Law Group settles what is open and drafts the agreement, and this software files it.
Facts about a divorce mediator are drawn from its own public materials as of September 2026, are structural rather than promotional, and may have changed — verify on its site. Clear Parting Docs is not a law firm and gives no legal advice; this page is a product comparison, not a recommendation about your case.
See ours before deciding
The complete finished packet is published as real PDFs — no account, no payment.
Other comparisons: Hello Divorce · DivorceWriter · 3StepDivorce · LegalZoom · hiring two attorneys