Flat fee divorce mediation Minnesota, divorce cost Minnesota, and how to divorce without court—this episode breaks down everything you need to know about divorce mediation in Minnesota. Learn how flat fee divorce mediation Minnesota works, what it includes, and how to avoid costly attorney battles.

In this Saddle Up segment of Doing Divorce Different, Lesa Koski walks you step-by-step through her flat fee divorce mediation process in Minnesota. If you're worried about the cost of divorce, overwhelmed by the process, or looking for a more peaceful path forward, this episode gives you clarity and direction.

Lesa explains exactly what’s included in her full-service mediation—from parenting plans and financial agreements to filing guidance—so you can move forward with confidence. She also shares why mediation is often a more respectful, affordable, and effective alternative to traditional litigation.

If you want to avoid court, reduce conflict, and protect your future (and your kids), this episode is your roadmap to doing divorce differently.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to flat fee divorce mediation in Minnesota

(02:10) Why divorce costs matter and how to reduce them

(04:30) What $5,800 flat fee mediation includes

(07:15) Legal information vs. legal advice explained

(10:05) Why AI alone isn’t enough for divorce

(13:20) The importance of guided communication during divorce

(16:00) What documents are included in your divorce paperwork

(19:10) Parenting plans and why they matter

(22:30) Mediation vs. hiring attorneys: key differences

(26:00) When attorneys are necessary

(29:15) The emotional and financial benefits of mediation

(32:40) How mediation helps you start your next chapter well

(35:10) DIY divorce course vs. full mediation

(38:20) Parenting Plan Blueprint explained

(41:00) Final thoughts: creating a better life after divorce

Key Takeaways:

• Flat fee mediation gives you clarity, predictability, and cost control
• Divorce doesn’t have to be a battle—mediation creates a more peaceful path
• Communication during divorce directly impacts your future relationship (especially with kids)
• AI tools can help, but human guidance is critical for agreements and communication
• How you end your marriage sets the tone for your next chapter

Guest Bio:

Lesa Koski is a divorce mediator, attorney, and life coach based in Minnesota. With over 25 years of legal experience, she helps couples navigate divorce in a more peaceful, cost-effective way through mediation and coaching. Lesa is the host of Doing Divorce Different, where she empowers women over 40 to approach divorce with clarity, dignity, and strength.

Resource Links:

https://www.lesakoski.com/

Tags/Keywords:

flat fee divorce mediation Minnesota, divorce mediation MN, cost of divorce Minnesota, Minnesota divorce process, divorce without court, co-parenting plan, parenting plan divorce, mediation vs attorney divorce, affordable divorce options, divorce coaching, peaceful divorce

Welcome back to the Saddle Up segment of doing Divorce different.

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I'm so thankful that you're here,

and as I promise this is the third

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saddle up where we're just talking

about divorce mediations in Minnesota.

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And today I wanna talk about flat

fees and what you get from a.

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Flat fee divorce mediation when you

work with me in the state of Minnesota.

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And I will also touch on, um,

that DIY course that I have

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available on my website too.

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So just to start out, the reason

that I started doing flat fees,

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and I think the reason that they

really matter to my clients is

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because one of the biggest concerns

besides your kids and your house is.

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How much is this going to cost me?

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And how complicated is this going

to get so I can help you with

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how much this is gonna cost me?

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And I'm just gonna tell you it's $5,800

start to finish for all the things

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that I'm gonna walk through that are

provided during the mediation process.

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And I, you know, I gotta say.

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If you're listening to this into the

future, that price can change, but as of

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today, in 2026, that is the fee for that

flat fee, Minnesota divorce mediation.

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And so this is kind of what you get.

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It's just like a full service process.

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So I am a mediator.

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I'm also an attorney.

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But I don't act as an attorney when I'm

working with my divorce mediation clients.

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I can give you all the legal information

about divorce and divorce in Minnesota,

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and spousal maintenance and child

support and how to divide assets.

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I can give you all that legal information.

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But I can never give you any advice.

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So I work together with both parties over

Zoom and we work through your agreements.

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We work through what needs to be

decided in a divorce in Minnesota.

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And I want you to know I am big into

AI just like everyone else, and I

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have had some clients reach out.

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Because they try to do it

through ai, but they didn't

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quite get everything they needed.

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That's why having someone walk

you through it is helpful.

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And like I said, you will get all

that you need to file for divorce.

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We basically work through your paperwork

together, so we complete these agreements.

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To meet what you both agree on,

not what the judge wants, not

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what another attorney wants.

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And you know, I think the

thing that's also nice is.

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When you're working with me,

you know that I can send Lisa a

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note, ask her a question, I can

make a telephone call to her.

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I'm not gonna pay more.

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If I have questions, I'm

here to answer them for you.

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I'm available to my clients.

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So, um, and you also, I do guide you.

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I always recommend that you

have an attorney file for you.

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I have some that I work

with and they have a.

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A really reasonable fee.

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A lot of 'em are collaborative law

attorneys who know what they're doing

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and they know how to do it well,

where you're, um, doing something,

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you're doing the divorce together.

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So I just really do walk you

through the whole process.

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So, so most couples come to me, not

because everything's easy, but they

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don't wanna make something worse and.

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I'm an attorney, so I love

attorneys, but sometimes attorneys

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can throw a bomb in a process.

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I've seen it happen myself, and they can

mess things up and I think that that is

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the one reason I'm so passionate about

this is that I can help the two of you

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compromise, um, on these agreements.

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You will understand what the law says.

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You will understand what is open to you.

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You know how assets are split, and then

you will be able to agree together.

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So if you are considering a divorce in

Minnesota and you wanna do it a better

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way and you want to work together with

your soon to be ex spouse, especially

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if you have kids, guys, this is so good.

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Um, I can help you prepare, um,

for future arguments that might

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pop up or if you need to use an app

to communicate or whatever it is.

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Um.

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It's just the best way to go, and

that parenting plan is always a

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piece of the divorce paperwork.

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So what what that includes is you

get your divorce paperwork, then we

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do a spreadsheet on all your assets

and how they're gonna be divided out.

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Then there's also a large parenting

plan when you have kiddos and

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there's real estate attachments.

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These are all the things that go into

the divorce paperwork, and I think that's

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where AI is running a little bit short,

where the, the couple that I talked to

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who tried to use it didn't find out that

they had to do their asset spreadsheet.

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So, um, there's still a

little bit of personal, um.

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Help that can be had, even though I love

that ai, I think it's super helpful.

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Um, there's still help in having someone

direct you and helping you communicate.

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I don't think AI can do that.

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And if you can communicate well

through this divorce, you are going

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to end something on a good note.

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And that is always how

you start the next thing.

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So, like I said, my guided mediation

plans have a parenting plan.

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I walk you through financial.

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Decisions division, division

of assets and support.

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If AC applicable.

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If applicable.

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So that would be like spousal

maintenance or child support.

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So you just, you have clear

direction through the whole process.

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It's a structured process and I

just support you at every stage.

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I support you all along the way.

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I'll even throw in some coaching.

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If you want.

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'cause I do have that life

coaching in my back pocket.

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Uh, so we will, like I said, go through

and we will work through your divorce

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paperwork together so you'll have all

the paperwork you need when we're done.

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And so I think I.

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How this compares to

working with attorneys.

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I mean, obviously you're both,

you both would hire attorneys

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if you took that route.

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And sometimes you have to, if there's

any abuse, um, or someone's feeling

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like they don't have their say,

yeah, you gotta hire those attorneys.

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Um, if it's really high conflict,

they're often necessary.

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Um, but more often than not, they're not.

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So you're just paying me.

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You're not each paying those re re

uh, retainers to separate attorneys.

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And I did a saddle up segment two

weeks ago that talked about the

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cost of attorneys in Minnesota.

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So, um, it's awesome because you are

avoiding the co, the court process.

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You are communicating with each other.

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You're willing to, it's a much more

respectful process, so you can just feel.

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I mean, there is something to be

said for feeling good about it.

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I always say mediation is much less

expensive than hiring attorneys

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and fighting it out in court.

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And I would pay more to do a mediation

because the dignity and it's such a

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better way, it's a calmer way forward.

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So, you know, divorce is already

so, so hard, and I have learned

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through my own hard things that.

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You can learn and grow, and I think that

mediation and working with someone and

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helping you communicate is a way that

you can learn and grow to communicate

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better so that you can have a better life.

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Beyond this divorce.

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Um, it is truly my desire for every

client that I have to move forward to

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never be back in that chair again, going

through a divorce and to do it a better

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way and maybe pick up some mindset tools,

some communication tools to help you in

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your life overall, because these hard

moments are when we can make the changes.

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To create the life that we want

and to really, really grow.

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So if you are in Minnesota and you want to

do a full divorce, go to lisa kosky.com,

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sign up for a free consult.

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I also mention I do have a

DIY course, um, and I have a

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parenting plan blueprint course.

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You can do your own parenting

plan together if you want.

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That parenting plan is

part of the divorce.

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Paperwork course that DIY

course is kind of like ai.

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It's 9 97.

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It's like AI where you get.

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All the, you get the documents that

you need and you have me there teaching

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you about the legal information.

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The only thing that's missing is me

helping you actually communicate and

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come to a compromise, but I really

did my very best to make it as close

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to be, be sitting in a room with me.

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Um.

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And you can send me questions too through

that or through email if things pop up

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when you're going through that course.

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That's always an option.

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So that's a 9 97 option for

those Minnesota clients.

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So if you are in Minnesota and

need a divorce and you need

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support, I can be your divorce

coach or I can be your mediator.

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But I wanna help you do this a

better way because I want you to

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have a better life after divorce.

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Thanks so much for being here.