3 Simple Ways To Make Your Divorce Less Expensive
If you have just made up your mind to get out of your marriage and looked up the cost of hiring a divorce lawyer, you are probably reeling from the sight of the triple digit hourly rates. If the cost of hiring a divorce lawyer is bad news, the worse news is that you will probably end up losing even more money if you try to divorce without a lawyer. If your divorce attorney bills by the hour, then the best way to accomplish your divorce at the lowest possible cost is to avoid sending your lawyer on time-consuming wild goose chases. In other words, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your divorce and don’t have your act together, your lawyer will do the heavy lifting, but it will cost you. To find out more about working together with your attorney to make your divorce as painless as possible, contact a Boca Raton divorce lawyer.
Organize Your Financial Records Before You File for Divorce
Even the simplest divorce cases require both parties to present thorough financial disclosures to the court. If you cannot find the financial documents that the court needs to see, your lawyer and the other employees of the law firm can find them, but you will have to pay for every minute that they spend looking for them. Before you file for divorce, or even before you contact a lawyer, you should assemble the same documents you would need if you were applying for a home mortgage loan, such as three years of tax returns and three months of pay stubs and bank statements.
Communicate With Your Lawyer by Email Instead of by Phone
Phone conversations with your lawyer count as billable hours. Therefore, when possible, you should convey information to your lawyer by email. Do not call your lawyer just because you need someone to talk to, as almost everyone does during divorce. In cases like that, you should call a family member or friend or set up an appointment with your therapist.
Don’t Waste Time and Effort on Trying to Have the Last Word
Divorce court is not the place to make your ex-spouse pay for breaking your heart. Florida is an equitable distribution state, which means that judges decide on an individual basis the fairest way to divide the marital property. Fair is a subjective term, and you might be resentful that your ex gets to keep so much of the marital property even though it is her fault that the marriage fell apart. Do not waste your lawyer’s time on pointless legal battles, and focus on living your best life after divorce.
Contact Schwartz | White About Making Wise Financial Decisions About Divorce
A South Florida family law attorney can help you save more money during a divorce than if you had tried to go through the entire divorce process without hiring a lawyer. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/07/22/8-ways-to-lower-the-cost-of-a-divorce/?sh=113ac0fe4a31
