Many men ask this question, and it’s not always about the money issue. Often hiring a divorce attorney who only cares about himself can drag out a divorce and billing hours, and there are some alternatives, depending on where you live.
With the average cost of Divorce For Men in the US at somewhere between $15,000 and $30,000 when you go the conventional route of using attorneys, are there other options? The answer is yes. In a conventional divorce with attorneys, most of this money goes to the attorneys. Here are some guidelines if you are seeking a cheap divorce.
• Mediations – if you can a good divorce mediator can cost about one-third of using attorneys, still a big chunk but if you have the money, and don’t know how to fight for your rights, a mediator can often lower the total cost of the divorce.
• Check with the county clerk’s office where you live. In most cases, they will be able to tell you how to file for divorce on your own or at the very least file for a legal separation while you and your spouse decide the best route to take. If you have a lot of assets, this may not be your smartest option, but if you are like most of us, the county clerk’s office can guide you through the process of obtaining a relatively cheap divorce. Don’t expect all the people in these government offices to be happy about helping you—in fact, they may get sick of you, but your taxes pay their wages so it’s your right to utilize this option.
• Divorce websites – There are many of these that offer up ways to obtain and file the correct forms in your state. If you go this route, make sure you aren’t paying too much for their “form” services and research more than one site. Make sure you find a site that has a phone number where a live person actually answers the telephone and you aren’t forced to communicate via email.
• Unbundling – In 1993, the unbundling type of ending a marriage was first used. This allows you to maintain control but if you and your wife agree to do this, it does require you both feel strong enough that you can decide things on your own without the help of a third party including the filing of any legal forms required in your state. You can find out about unbundling by doing a search on your Internet browser.
• Divorce attorney – The best way to figure out if you want to go this route is to ask yourself, if you can afford it, if you can afford possibly paying your wife’s attorney’s fees, and if you have property you know you won’t be able to agree on splitting fairly. Also, if you think your wife is going to be pretty nasty about it all, you probably don’t want much contact with her so hiring a divorce attorney can help you avoid that. If you must hire a divorce attorney, to keep your divorce cheap, try to do as much work as you can on your own. In your initial meeting, ask what you can do to save on billable hours and explain frankly that you don’t want to spend a lot of the dissolution of your marriage. Most divorce attorneys, or at least the good ones, will help you on this end.
• Hire a paralegal. In almost every state, you can find a paralegal that can help you file for divorce at a much cheaper rate than a divorce attorney would cost. Their costs are considerably lower than a lawyer and they are best used in cases where you and your spouse think you will able to agree on the terms of your divorce settlement.
You can get a cheap divorce by doing it alone and filing all the right paperwork and often, people waste a lot of money on attorneys because they don’t take the time to communicate with their spouse to see if they are open to using a cheaper method. If you have a nasty ex-to-be, you may have to shell out some bucks, but if you file for a legal separation in your state at the county clerk’s office and give her some time to cool down, chances are she’ll be willing to at least try and talk about how you both can save money and keep the nasty stuff out of the process.
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