There are a few ways you can get a cheap divorce, but the most cost effective legal way to get a cheap divorce is to process your divorce online. There are 2 main options for an online divorce:
1. Legal Zoom - Prove that divorce doesn't have to be complicated or costly (just check out their divorce wizard). If you and your spouse can agree on how to divide property and resolve any child-related issues, you can file what's known as an uncontested divorce. This really is as painless as divorce gets.
2. Complete Case - CompleteCase.com™ is another affordable divorce service center. Their simple and inexpensive process will enable you to complete your divorce documents from the comfort of your home, without incurring the cost of an attorney, or dealing with lengthy completion and delivery periods. The total cost is usually around $249.00.
Both of these websites offer complete divorce solutions - their services are ideal for uncontested divorce situation where both parties want a quick close solution. As always it's good to shop around, so contact both of these companies to see who can give you the best deal.
If you aren't convinced that your an online divorce is for you, here's some background reading to help you decide on the right course of action:
Marriage is still very popular today but sadly so too is divorce. And anyone who has had to pay for either - the wedding and/or the divorce - will know it can be pretty darn expensive. So if you do decide to split, this article will tell you how to save money. And we're talking big bucks here. Depending on what you could pay for a divorce, your expenditure could be cut by, wait for it, 95%. Now that's a saving.
The divorce merry-go-round in the US is not a multi-million dollar enterprise. Rather it's a multi-billion dollar enterprise and no prizes for guessing where most of the money goes. That's right, lawyers.
Of course you may be happy to work through a lawyer and that could be the best way for you to proceed. An experienced lawyer who genuinely cares about your welfare may help you win the best possible settlement. But not every divorce is the same. And if you and your partner have a reasonable relationship despite opting for divorce or if you and your partner are able to communicate even with difficulty, you could significantly reduce the cost of your divorce.
Apart from lawyers, time in court is also costly. If your divorce drags on in court, the meter keeps ticking and even if you win, you might lose. Even if the court decides a number of things in your favor, the court bill has got be paid.
It seems fantastic but it's possible to obtain a divorce for only a few dollars - let's say $100. When you read about people paying ten thousand or twenty thousand dollars or more for their divorce you can see there is a massive difference.
Now divorce is a legal matter with appropriate forms. You can't just shake hands with your partner and agree to disagree. You must complete the correct paperwork. But that done, if there are no custody issues, shared debts and if you can agree on asset splitting , there's no reason why you can't have a DIY or do it yourself divorce. You'll find all sorts of practical advice online at Legal Zoom.
We're talking here about an uncontested divorce. You and your spouse choose not to go to court and slug it out. You won't need a lawyer or if you do, it will be for a much restricted time and thus a much lower cost.
And don't forget there are formal divorce venues other than courts. There are formal arbitration hearings which are cheaper than courts and are still able to legally dissolve your marriage.
But what if you are worried you could mess up any in-house negotiations? What if you sign something and later discover you've been stitched up? Well there are mediators who can sit down with both partners and lead you to a mediated settlement.
These are mediators who are either trained in legal matters or have experience in helping with divorce settlements or both. Of course there is a fee but their charges will be significantly less than those of a divorce using lawyers and the courts.
One further possibility is to thrash out a divorce settlement with a mediator than hire a lawyer - that's one lawyer each - to go over the proposed settlement before you sign.
Friendly Lawyers
We all know about combatative lawyers where each spouse hires someone who goes after your spouse. They dig up any dirt; they paint your partner as everything bad and adopt a take-no-prisoners approach. If you win, that's great.
Actually it's not great because using hate and vindictive behavior we are told is not good for anyone's health.
But friendly lawyers, i.e. ones who are not combatative but aim to achieve the best result for their client without attacking their opponent's client, are usually far cheaper because they spend less time attacking and more time negotiating.
Tips to Help Make Your Divorce Cheaper
- Where possible aim for an uncontested divorce. They're lawyer-free.
- Prepare well. It's the same with any court or formal procedure. Spend time making your case. Keep it short but have all the information you need. Know your case well.
- Avoid litigation completely or at least avoid endless litigation. The only real winners are lawyers.
- Keep talking. No matter how much you are hurting, you must keep the lines of communication open. It might mean a third party doing the talking for you but do not shut up shop.
- Financial check list. What are your financial details? Bank accounts, shares, pension plans, medical insurance? Make a list of anything and everything related to money. Make sure your divorce settlement has everything covered. Remember life goes on after divorce and you will not have a cheap divorce if a year or twenty down the track your pension fund or whatever has not been sorted.
- Will you lose money at work because of your divorce? Will you be fired or demoted or miss promotion because you are spending so much time on your divorce. Again life goes on so don't lose sight of your work commitments.
- Prenups. Obviously you have to have one and if you do, now is the time to make it really count. A lawyer who is experienced in this field may be your best bet but if the prenuptial agreement has been well designed in the first place, this is the time to make sure you benefit well from your divorce.
- Tax. We hear tales of how failure to pay tax can hurt down the track. Having an accountant review your situation and give you a clean bill of health before you dissolve your marriage is a wise move.
The sadness or even the trauma in bad cases of a divorce can be compounded by a hefty bill. You don't want to make a difficult situation worse. If you are lacking in confidence and have a solid recommendation for an experienced lawyer, then he or she may be the best way to handle your divorce.
But there are alternatives. You can use a trained mediator who will draw up a proposed divorce settlement and you can have a lawyer check this out for you.
Or you can do virtually everything yourself. You can obtain the appropriate paperwork; contact your local courthouse or search on-line. Then sit down with your spouse and nut out who gets what, when and how. Again having drawn it up yourself you could have it looked over by a lawyer but you decide.
Your divorce can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it.
Here are additional resources you might be interested in:
Divorce Information in the USA
How to Conduct a Do It Yourself Divorce in the USA
How much does it Cost to Hire a Divorce Lawyer in the USA?
How to Get a Military Separation in the USA
If you're in the USA and there's no property or finances to settle, then you can do it yourself. There's a number of places online where you can carry out a divorce (which is much cheaper than going through the courts and lawyers).
Legal Zoom's 3-Step Divorce Process can provide quick and easy online divorces.
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