The average divorce or marital dissolution costs thousands of dollars. You and your spouse may have to pay for your separate legal representation and for court costs. You will also incur certain losses as you divide your property with one another.
While you are undergoing major changes in your personal relationships, you will likely want to preserve your financial stability as much as you possibly can. Thankfully, there are a few tips you can follow to help keep the costs related to your divorce as reasonable as possible given your circumstances.
Collect necessary documentation ahead of time
Lawyers and the family courts will require substantial documentation about the marital situation. Having everything accessible and organized will make it easier and faster to share appropriate information with the necessary parties.
You will typically need to present tax and income paperwork, inventories of your total assets and any other relevant records that you believe would have a bearing on property division, support or custody matters.
Limit direct communication and prepare for each encounter
Lawyers have a lot of demands on their time, and their professional expertise is worth quite a bit. They will bill for every phone call they answer and email they send. You can reduce their total costs by prioritizing your communication and only reaching out when necessary.
Having a list of questions to ask before a phone call or typed out in a bullet list in an email can help you ensure that you are as efficient as possible during your communications with your attorney.
Find a lawyer who actually wants to work with you
There are many lawyers who will take on family law cases, but not all of them will truly care about your needs and your unique situation. Finding a lawyer who is empathetic and who recognizes your unique challenges will be an important part of the process.
Someone who understands you will communicate more effectively with you and will be more likely to help you secure the optimal outcome in your divorce proceedings. They can also help you prioritize the goals that you’re setting so that you can achieve the best outcome while simultaneously minimizing how much you spend on the divorce process.
In a nutshell, having a proactive attitude and support during your divorce proceedings will be key to keeping your costs as low as possible.
