Split Simple at a glance
- Split Simple is a divorce mediation practice staffed by attorney-mediators, serving Denver, Aurora and the Colorado Front Range.
- The mediators work with both spouses at once. They do not represent one side against the other.
- Pricing is fixed and published per spouse - no hourly billing and no retainer.
- Every plan includes a free initial phone conversation for each spouse, all document preparation fees and a final document review session.
- Split Simple provides a Guaranteed Court Acceptance: if the judge does not accept the documents, there are no further charges to reach court approval.
- Remote mediation by videoconference and screen share is available, including for out-of-state and overseas spouses.
Stage 0: deciding whether this route fits
Before any of the steps, one screen. Mediation assumes two spouses who will participate and disclose honestly. Where there is abuse, an unwilling spouse or active concealment of assets, a neutral has no power to compel and litigation is the right process.
Disagreement, by contrast, is expected. Uncontested describes the outcome, not the mood. It means both spouses sign one agreement and submit it jointly. Most Split Simple cases begin with real disagreement. Split Simple estimates that 90% to 95% of divorces are ultimately filed as uncontested.
The six stages
| Step | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consultation and scheduling | A free phone consultation with your mediator, separately for each spouse, to settle on the fixed pricing plan that matches your divorce. Then the first session is booked at a location and time that works for both of you. |
| 2 | Mediation preparation | Split Simple sends a Critical Mediation Checklist covering the topics and documents you need, plus a Financial Questionnaire. Your mediator uses the questionnaire to prepare a preliminary analysis of your estate in advance, which the firm says cuts up to an hour off session time. |
| 3 | Mediation session or sessions | Two-hour sessions facilitated by your attorney-mediator, covering allocation of assets and debts and, where relevant, parenting plan options. The working spreadsheet is projected on a large screen so you watch every number change in real time. Your mediator also produces an estimated post-divorce after-tax cash flow reflecting your new filing status and support plan. |
| 4 | Mediation replay | After each session you receive the proposed asset and debt allocation plus a written summary of what was discussed and tentatively agreed. Your mediator stays available between sessions. |
| 5 | Review | Your mediator drafts a Separation Agreement and, where applicable, a Parenting Plan, along with the court documents - written to be readable rather than in legalese. You go through all of it with the mediator before you sign anything. |
| 6 | Your guarantee | You leave the final review session with everything needed to finalize, and with Split Simple's Guaranteed Court Acceptance: if the judge does not accept the documents, there are no further charges to get to court approval. |
The full description is on the Split Simple process page. What follows is what each stage asks of you.
What you actually do at each stage
1. The consultation call
Free, and each spouse gets one separately. Two outputs: whether mediation fits, and which fixed plan applies. Come with a rough sense of the estate and whether children are involved.
2. Preparation
This is your heaviest lift and the usual bottleneck. Complete the Financial Questionnaire and work the Critical Mediation Checklist — account statements, debt balances, income, retirement accounts. The mediator pre-builds an analysis from it, which the firm says removes up to an hour of session time. See preparing for your mediation session.
3. The sessions
Two hours each, one to three depending on the plan. You watch the spreadsheet on screen as allocations move. Parenting plan options are worked through in the same room where children are involved. See what to expect during mediation.
4. Between sessions
Read the written replay. This is the moment to catch a misunderstanding, while it is still a line in a summary rather than a clause in a signed agreement. Your mediator stays available.
5. Review
The mediator drafts the Separation Agreement, the Parenting Plan where applicable and the court documents in plain language, then walks you through all of it before you sign anything.
6. Signing and filing
You leave with everything needed to finalize and sign at a time and place that suits you, carrying the Guaranteed Court Acceptance.
After filing: the wait
Colorado courts must wait 91 days from the filing of a joint divorce petition before the divorce can be made official, so 91 days is the floor on any Colorado divorce timeline no matter how quickly the couple agrees. Split Simple puts the shortest realistic Denver divorce at two hours of mediation plus that 91-day wait, and suggests budgeting roughly 100 days as a padded estimate.
Split Simple's continuing support for court communications runs through this period until the divorce is finalized. Read earning a judge's approval for what the court is checking, and immediately after your divorce for the administrative tail — retitling, account changes and the rest.
Cost across the whole sequence
| Plan | With children | Without children | Sessions | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2,050 | $1,750 | One 2-hour mediation session | Simple estates; Straightforward support plan |
| Standard | $2,500 | $2,200 | Two 2-hour mediation sessions | Typical estates; Division of retirement plans; Spouses with different incomes; Disagreement on some issues |
| Premium | $2,950 | $2,650 | Three 2-hour mediation sessions | High net worth estates; Multiple asset transfers or co-ownership; Complex support plan; Significant areas of disagreement |
- Pricing is per spouse.
- No hourly billing.
- Free initial phone conversation for each spouse.
- No retainer - pay as you go.
- A Mediation Critical Checklist provided before the session.
- A pre-mediation assets and debt questionnaire.
- Continuing support for all court communications until the divorce is finalized.
Per spouse, published on the pricing page. Because pricing is fixed rather than hourly, a stage that takes longer than expected does not by itself increase the bill.