Divorce: 3 Ways To Save On Attorney"s Fees
Like anyone else, Lawyers love to be paid for their time.
You may feel like they like their fees a little too much, but you may need one of them if you are getting divorced.
What's more, your spouse may need one as well, and you might have to pay for both of you.
You may have to give up some of your hard earned money to get your divorce, but there are things you can do to make the process less costly.
Below are a few ideas that might help.
1.
If your lawyer asks you to get a document, get it.
You have a right to information about any bank record, insurance policy, child's school or medical records, or other documentation you need to prepare for your case.
If you don't get these things yourself, your attorney will have to get them for you, which will cost more money.
Of course, you could choose to go to court without these important papers, but the judge may need them to give you a fair shake when he enters the final decree.
2.
If you and your spouse reach an agreement about something, write it down, and insist that both of you sign the paper.
Make sure you each have copies of your agreement, and that there are enough copies to give to both of your lawyers.
Your agreement won't be enforceable unless it is in writing, and a judge approves it, but unless one of you committed fraud, or exerted undue influence on the other, the judge will be glad not to have to spend his time hearing your dispute, and he is likely to accept your arrangement.
Even if one of you has a change of heart, the written agreement is much more likely to stand than a verbal promise between you.
3.
If your spouse wasn't a pain in your neck, you probably wouldn't be asking for a divorce.
Don't report every little annoyance to your lawyer's office.
For one thing, you will be charged for her time, whether she can help you or not.
If your ex is doing something dangerous or harmful, like driving drunk with your kids or giving away your marital property, your lawyer should be told immediately.
However, if you just don't approve of the food she's feeding your kids, or you don't like his new girlfriend, there isn't much your attorney can do about it.
As long as the behavior is legal and isn't provably harmful, the court won't want to hear about it.
There are some inconveniences that you will have to endure until the divorce has been granted.
It may not seem possible now, but usually things settle down after the final hearing.
A lawyer's merchandise is his time.
The more of it you spend, the more you will have to pay.
Thus, it only makes sense to handle as much of your own leg work as you can to save money.
It also is only logical that calling your lawyer to address non-legal issues such as those mentioned above, will only cause your legal bill to increase.
The more money you save in fees, whether they are your own or your ex's the better off you will be when you are trying to start over.
Cooperation and self help are two ways to help you save for your post divorce life.
You may feel like they like their fees a little too much, but you may need one of them if you are getting divorced.
What's more, your spouse may need one as well, and you might have to pay for both of you.
You may have to give up some of your hard earned money to get your divorce, but there are things you can do to make the process less costly.
Below are a few ideas that might help.
1.
If your lawyer asks you to get a document, get it.
You have a right to information about any bank record, insurance policy, child's school or medical records, or other documentation you need to prepare for your case.
If you don't get these things yourself, your attorney will have to get them for you, which will cost more money.
Of course, you could choose to go to court without these important papers, but the judge may need them to give you a fair shake when he enters the final decree.
2.
If you and your spouse reach an agreement about something, write it down, and insist that both of you sign the paper.
Make sure you each have copies of your agreement, and that there are enough copies to give to both of your lawyers.
Your agreement won't be enforceable unless it is in writing, and a judge approves it, but unless one of you committed fraud, or exerted undue influence on the other, the judge will be glad not to have to spend his time hearing your dispute, and he is likely to accept your arrangement.
Even if one of you has a change of heart, the written agreement is much more likely to stand than a verbal promise between you.
3.
If your spouse wasn't a pain in your neck, you probably wouldn't be asking for a divorce.
Don't report every little annoyance to your lawyer's office.
For one thing, you will be charged for her time, whether she can help you or not.
If your ex is doing something dangerous or harmful, like driving drunk with your kids or giving away your marital property, your lawyer should be told immediately.
However, if you just don't approve of the food she's feeding your kids, or you don't like his new girlfriend, there isn't much your attorney can do about it.
As long as the behavior is legal and isn't provably harmful, the court won't want to hear about it.
There are some inconveniences that you will have to endure until the divorce has been granted.
It may not seem possible now, but usually things settle down after the final hearing.
A lawyer's merchandise is his time.
The more of it you spend, the more you will have to pay.
Thus, it only makes sense to handle as much of your own leg work as you can to save money.
It also is only logical that calling your lawyer to address non-legal issues such as those mentioned above, will only cause your legal bill to increase.
The more money you save in fees, whether they are your own or your ex's the better off you will be when you are trying to start over.
Cooperation and self help are two ways to help you save for your post divorce life.
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