How much will my divorce cost?
One of the biggest questions we get from our clients is: How much is my divorce going cost?
Some of the biggest factors affecting the cost of your divorce or custody case are:
1)How much do you and your spouse disagree on?
2) How cooperative and timely will each of you be about providing your financial information?
3) How complex are the issues in your divorce or custody case?
4) Who is your lawyer and who is your spouse’s lawyer?
There are a lot of things you can do to reduce the cost of your divorce or custody case, here are some specific examples how you can save money on your divorce.
1)How much do you and your spouse disagree on?
TIP: Narrow down these issues by getting realistic and strategic advice from your lawyer, engaging in assertive settlement tactics from the beginning, working with a mediator, or talking with your spouse to cross items off your list. At our firm, we will come up with a plan from day one for how to approach your case strategically and cost-effectively.
2) How cooperative and timely will each of you be about providing your financial information?
TIP: Do your “homework.” We give our clients specific instruction on what documents and information they need to provide. If you send your documents in an organized and timely fashion, that is less money that you need to pay in legal fees. We are happy to scan and organize everything for our clients if you do not want to lift a finger, but most people want to save the money!
3) How complex are the issues in your divorce or custody case?
TIP: A divorce with no children has less issues than one with children. A W-2 income is easier to quantify than self-employed income. This is an area where it is smart to have a thorough consultation with an attorney so that we can give an accurate quote and strategize about how to approach the divorce most efficiently.
4) Who is your lawyer and who is your spouse’s lawyer?
TIP: This has got to be the most overlooked factor when determining how much a divorce is going to cost. A great lawyer will bill fairly and think strategically about ways to save you money. A bad one… will not. You can control who you hire of course but many people don’t realize that you can also have influence on who your spouse hires! We counsel clients on how to “set the tone” in their case from day one and the right tone often leads the other party to hire someone who matches that tone (reasonable, proactive, collaborative etc.)
Book a free consultation with Taradash Given today so we can give you an honest and informed answer of what to expect cost-wise in your divorce, child support or custody case.