If you’re like many people, you’ve probably heard that divorce is expensive. While there is some truth to the rumors, divorce does not have to break the bank. What many people don’t realize is that your behavior often plays a big role in the cost. The big takeaway should always be: the more amicable and peaceful the parties, the less the divorce will likely cost. Still, here are some tips on how to divorce cheaply. These tips can help reduce the overall expenses and costs associated with your divorce.
Make A List Of Disputes & Agreements In Advance
One really simple way you and your spouse can reduce the cost of a divorce is by sitting down together beforehand and making a list of all the issues you both are willing to agree on and a separate list of things you know are in dispute.
In the bestseller, Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, salespeople are told to start negotiations by trying to work out simple, easily resolved issues first. By getting people to agree to small things, somehow it programs them to be more likely to agree on bigger things. So, do the same thing with your divorce. Start with the easy stuff.
For instance, maybe you both agree on who gets the old pickup truck. Or, perhaps there really is no dispute over the children’s religious upbringing. Maybe you can both agree on the division of the vast majority of tangible assets. If you can nail down all the simple stuff in advance, then you and your spouse basically have narrowed down a small list of likely disputes. When you give these to your attorneys, it will help reduce the amount of time spent negotiating and arguing about things that don’t really require argument.
Don’t Use Attorneys For Non-Legal Tasks
This may come as a surprise to many, but clients sometimes become so dependent on their attorneys that they begin to misuse their services. Of course, any good divorce lawyer will happily answer the phone and try to counsel his or her client through a difficult situation. But as with any professional, this service comes at a price. Do not ask a lawyer to mediate a dispute with your dry cleaner or request that he or she be present when you pick your kids up from school, just in case the other spouse shows up.
Agree To Settle
If you and your spouse are on a tight budget, commit to each other in advance that you will reach a settlement agreement. It is far more cost-effective to spend the time and energy negotiating and ironing out details so that you can settle your divorce out of court. If you have to litigate your divorce to a trial, you will definitely spend more money.
Experience Counts
As a final point, it’s important to hire an experienced divorce lawyer who practices near you. If your attorney routinely handles divorces in the local court system, things will generally go more smoothly. Your attorney will already know ahead of time what obstacles and potential pitfalls to avoid. In Mount Pleasant, contact the skilled divorce attorneys of Klok Law Firm LLC.
