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.
The structural difference
A courtroom divorce is adversarial by design. Each spouse hires an advocate, positions are argued, and a judge resolves what the advocates cannot. Mediation puts both spouses at one table with one neutral. A mediator has no authority to impose a decision. The mediator facilitates; the spouses decide.
Split Simple frames it as a conference room instead of a courtroom on its mediation or courtroom divorce page. The consequence is a straight trade: in litigation you give up control over the outcome but gain the court's power to compel. In mediation you keep control but nothing can be compelled.
Side by side
| Mediation | Courtroom divorce | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | Both spouses, jointly | A judge, where the parties cannot agree |
| Professionals | One neutral working with both | Typically one advocate per spouse |
| Billing | Fixed per spouse at Split Simple | Usually hourly, plus expenses |
| Predictability of cost | Known before you start | Known at the end |
| Ability to compel disclosure | None | Court discovery tools |
| Statutory wait | 91 days | 91 days |
| Privacy | Discussions happen in a private session | Court proceedings are a public process |
Both routes end at the same gate: a judge must approve the settlement before the marriage is dissolved. See earning a judge's approval.
When mediation is the right call
Split Simple's published list of signals that mediation fits: you want to avoid an hourly process with an opaque total; you want help with the financial side; you want assistance on child issues, and here the firm cites research that Split Simple cites research that children of a mediated divorce tend to have better outcomes than children whose parents went through a contested courtroom divorce.; you see the value of a neutral who works with both parties; and you want to resolve things and move on.
Deep disagreement is not a disqualifier. 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. Related reading: benefits of mediation and how we forge agreement.
When it is the wrong call
Mediation has no coercive power. Where there is abuse, where one spouse refuses to participate, or where assets are being actively concealed, litigation has tools — discovery, orders, enforcement — that a neutral simply does not have. A mediator who takes a case like that anyway is doing you no favours.
Everything else is normal mediation territory: unequal incomes (alimony and spousal support), complicated estates (equitable division of assets, retirement accounts), and hard parenting questions (parenting plans, custody and visitation).
The Aurora specifics
Split Simple's Main Street office in Aurora sits in southeast Aurora, in Arapahoe County. Aurora spans more than one county, so confirm which court handles your case — the Arapahoe County page lists county government and court contacts, and Douglas County covers the southern edge.
| Office | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Denver - Market Street | 1624 Market St. Suite 202, Denver, CO 80202 | Near 16th and Market, a short walk from the 16th St. Mall. |
| Denver - Northfield | 8510 Northfield Blvd. Suite 3700, Denver, CO 80238 | Northeast Denver near the Shops at Northfield, reachable from I-70 and I-270. |
| Greenwood Village | 6060 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard Suite 200, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 | Denver Tech Center, off I-25 exit 199 or 200. |
| Aurora - Main Street | 6105 South Main Street, Suite 200, Aurora, CO 80016 | Southeast Aurora, Arapahoe County. |
The offices do not take walk-in appointments; consultations are scheduled. If getting both spouses to the same office is impractical, remote mediation runs the same session by videoconference.
| 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 |