How To Get A Cheap Divorce

If your divorce proceedings are inevitable yet amicable, then it may be worthwhile to find out how to get a cheap divorce. Uncontested divorces are cost effective solutions for you and your spouse but both parties must be in agreement or you are wasting your time and money. Often children and finances play a huge role but if there are open lines of communication, then you should definitely study your options.

1. Meet. Before you even start, you and your spouse should sit down and try to come up with an agreement. It does not have to be iron clad but you should put all the assets and debt in the open. Also, if there are children involved now is the time to discuss their upbringing and your parental responsibilities and rights.
2. Homework. Attorneys bill by the hour so the less talking you do, the cheaper. Find out ahead of time what documents you will need. It will be a lot cheaper if you organize everything so all the attorney has to do is read. If you expect an attorney to organize your finances, you should expect to pay a lot for it. Being prepared when you meet with the attorney is a critical step for a cheap divorce. Even a brief phone call from your attorney to tell you to bring in last year’s taxes is billable and will add up in the long run.
3. Collaborative law. If you’re looking to get a cheap divorce, collaborative law is actually the most expensive form of conflict resolution. In collaborative law, both parties will retain their own attorneys for mediation. The attorneys work towards an agreement without resorting to litigation. Once again, open lines of communication are very important. You are paying these guys by the hour and if either you or your spouse is hiding anything, the billable hours will rack up.
4. Mediator. In mediation, both parties sit down with an impartial mediator. All of the paperwork is done by the parties involved so the billable hours are cut down. Mediators are trained in family law and conflict resolution but you still need to find the right one that will work for both parties. If both you and your spouse are honest and prepared, a mediator’s job is mostly doing the math.
5. DIY uncontested. If you and your spouse can sit down and hash out an agreement that works for both parties with no questions or concerns, then you can do most of the paperwork yourself. There are many services online that reduce the cost of billing because you fill out all the forms yourself and use an attorney only to read over the agreement and file the papers. If you are uncomfortable with using an internet service, many family law practices have package deals for uncontested divorces. Both parties come in; fill out some forms, the attorney does the math and files it.