How to Lower the Cost of Your Divorce

 Posted on December 07, 2019 in Family Law

Divorce can be expensive. What many people do not know is that there is a way to cut those costs so that in the end, you are not left with nothing. While a divorce will still likely cost you something, there are ways that you can mitigate the expenses so your divorce does not cost you absolutely everything in the end. If you can follow the below tips, you will find that your divorce is much cheaper than most.

Avoid Litigation

When many people think about divorce, they envision a bitter and messy courtroom battle. Although many divorces go this route, that does not mean that yours has to. The most expensive way to divorce is to go through litigation. If you can find an alternative, your divorce will be much easier on your wallet.

Try Mediation

Mediation is one of the best ways to avoid litigation. During mediation, you and your spouse will meet with a mediator. Mediators are neutral third parties that do not give legal advice but do try to get you and the other side to come to an agreement that is fairly mutual. You can still work with an attorney to ensure your rights are being protected. Your divorce will just end up costing less and take less time in the end.

Try a Collaborative Divorce

A collaborative divorce is similar to mediation, but there is no mediator present. Instead, the two sides meet together with their attorneys and try to come to an agreement. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement through collaboration, you must go through litigation and the same attorneys are not allowed to work on the case. Due to this, there is even more incentive to make collaboration work.

Be Organized

It is amazing how much being disorganized can hurt your case. Before filing for divorce, make sure you have collected information about your retirement accounts, tax returns, bank statements, pay stubs, and all other financial information. This will ensure that time is not wasted in mediation, or even meetings with your attorney when you are not prepared with everything you need. That will result in additional meetings, which does not only cost more, but that also takes much more time.

Avoid Appraisals

Appraisal fees for homes and vehicles are expensive, and they quickly add up. Whenever you can, agree on the value of these with your spouse. There are plenty of tools out there, such as Kelly Blue Book and realtors, that can help you evaluate these assets, so you can save your money.

Use the Right Illinois Divorce Lawyer

Of course, the price of your attorney is not the only thing you should consider when hiring one. You also need to take their skill, experience, and knowledge of the law into consideration. However, you should ask around and make sure your skilled Hinsdale divorce lawyer has all of those qualities and will not cost you everything. At the Law Office of Martoccio & Martoccio, we have all the qualities you want in your attorney and will not cost you everything. Call us today at 630-920-8855 to schedule your free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=6000000&SeqEnd=8300000