Tips to Lower the Cost of a Divorce Attorney

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4 Practical Tips to Help You Lower the Cost of a
Divorce Attorney
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Table of Contents

• 4 Practical Tips to Help You Lower the Cost of a
  Divorce Attorney
• Opt For Out Of Court Settlement
• Choose Your Battles Wisely
• Keep Your Living Costs Down
• Respect What The Judge Tells You
• Top 3 Most Contentious Issues in a High Net Worth
  Divorce
• Childrens Well-Being
• Distribution Of Assets
• Spousal Support
• 6 Simple Secrets of a Smooth Divorce Mediation
  Process

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4 Practical Tips to Help You Lower the Cost of a
Divorce Attorney

• Unlike other types of cases that may be charged
  on a contingency basis and may not require
  upfront payments, most divorce attorneys charge
  flat fees or by the hour for their services.
  Accordingly, it is common to see many divorce
  cases, even those that end in out of court
  settlements, cost several thousands of dollars.
  This can be a huge financial burden, especially
  if you are already battling with other living
  expenses and emotions.
•  
• Fortunately, you can control how much your
  divorce process will cost. Irrespective of how
  your divorce process is unfolding, there are
  steps that you can take to lower your costs.

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Opt For Out Of Court Settlement

• Divorce attorneys do not just handle child
  custody battles but you can also spot them
  outside of court trying to help a few couples
  finalize the divorce documents they have already
  procured. They can also help you reach an
  amicable agreement with your spouse outside
  court. By settling things outside of court and
  only using the attorney to perform a final check
  on your documents, you can easily save a lot of
  money in the process.

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Choose Your Battles Wisely

• Everything that you are going to fight for in
  your divorce is going to cost you. For instance,
  if you decide to challenge your spouse for 1000
  antique furniture and you win, you may find that
  the time your attorney spends to fight for the
  item is costing you 1500. Avoid wasting money in
  battles that involve low-value or replaceable
  assets like furniture and electronic devices.
  Instead, focus on finalizing the divorce process.
  Spend money fighting for things that matter the
  most such as treasured possessions and a fair
  child custody arrangement.

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Keep Your Living Costs Down

• It can be a bit expensive to maintain two
  households, particularly if you have a home or a
  house that you cannot afford on one income. If
  possible, consider remaining in the same
  household until you finalize the divorce process
  or until the house is sold.

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Respect What The Judge Tells You

• If you have to be taken to court to follow a
  court order regarding a few monthly child support
  payments, the court is likely to enforce its
  original order and even force you to pay the
  legal fees incurred by your spouse. So, even if
  you disagree with the judges decision on a few
  aspects, never attempt to disobey a court order.
  You will end up paying extra legal fees in the
  long run.
• Bottom-line
• If your marriage is faltering and you see that a
  divorce is inevitable, the best thing to do is
  seek the services of a divorce attorney. However,
  this does not mean that you have to drain your
  bank account to pay for legal fees. Investigate
  your options and see what you can do to protect
  your long-term financial situation and shape your
  future. Hopefully, the above tips will go a long
  way in helping you cut your attorney fees and
  other legal costs.

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Top 3 Most Contentious Issues in a High Net Worth
Divorce

• Divorce is always a challenging process both
  financially and emotionally, and it gets even
  more complex for high net-worth individuals.
  Since there is more money involved in high net
  worth divorces, there are likely to be more
  contentious issues to be sorted out. To keep you
  on the loop, here is a quick overview of the most
  common issues that you are likely to deal with in
  a high net worth divorce.

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Childrens Well-Being

• It is always advisable to prioritize the health
  and well-being of your children. You will not
  have any favorable outcome in a divorce if your
  children are disadvantaged by the ruling or the
  divorce process.
• Remember that child support is intended to cater
  to the financial needs of your children,
  including their medical, education, and other
  extracurricular needs. Take note of your states
  child support guidelines as well to get the most
  out of the process. For instance, in most states,
  the child support guidelines are pegged on net
  monthly income. The amount of net income that can
  be considered for child support is also capped to
  certain amounts though there are circumstances
  when child support may be awarded above such a
  cap if the needs of the child are proven to be
  more.

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Distribution Of Assets

• Another contentious issue in high net worth
  divorce cases is determining how assets will be
  distributed. Although the goal of most divorce
  processes is equitable asset distribution, the
  intricacies of determining which assets are to be
  allocated to one spouse are very complex. For
  instance, no spouse is ready to be left with
  assets that attract a lot of out of pocket
  expenses such as insurance and taxes. Most
  spouses tend to favor liquid assets and some
  amount of cash.

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Spousal Support

• In most divorce cases, spousal support is paid to
  the non-breadwinning spouse for maintaining their
  lifestyle and giving them an opportunity to look
  for jobs or develop job skills that can allow
  them to support themselves. In a bigger
  percentage of divorce cases, this is usually a
  complex and partially subjective process as there
  are no clear laws to guide court decisions.
•  
• In particular, payment calculations often cause a
  lot of confusion in high net worth divorce cases.
  For instance, when a spouse conceals assets like
  bank accounts and property from discovery, it may
  result in spousal support payment calculations
  that may leave one party disadvantaged. In fact,
  it is very common for one party to take advantage
  of the other during a high net worth divorce
  caseseither through fraudulently concealing
  crucial financial information or through
  misrepresenting assets.

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• Bottom-line
• There you have it 3 of the most common
  contentious issues in most high net worth divorce
  cases. Yours may be different and will depend on
  whether you are the breadwinner or the
  non-breadwinning spouse. There will also be a lot
  of variables that will determine the issues that
  can be negotiated and those that may require
  further litigation. The best thing to do is to
  partner with the right high net worth divorce
  attorney to help you work towards getting a
  favorable outcome.

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6 Simple Secrets of a Smooth Divorce Mediation
Process

• Emotions are often high in most divorce mediation
  processes and reaching an agreement might seem
  next to impossible. This may force you to act
  with your feelings rather than your wit.
  Although separating from your spouse comes with a
  lot of stress, there are a few secrets that you
  can leverage to make the process smoother.

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• Avoid Acting With Emotions
• Do not let your emotions control your mediation
  sessions. Remember that coming to an amicable
  agreement on any issue during the process is
  highly dependent on you maintaining a clear mind.
  This should not be a time to lash out.
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• To be safer, especially if you had experienced
  negative emotions or funny mood swings during the
  separation, consider speaking to a therapist
  before attending any mediation session.
  Attending a counseling session will not only help
  you clear your mind but it will also promote good
  health and growth as you go through the divorce.
  

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• Focus On The Future
• You need to forget about the past before you
  enter into any mediation session. Focus on your
  future and figure out how you can turn things
  around with the decisions at hand. Consulting a
  counselor before the mediation process can go a
  long way in helping you develop a sound action
  plan.
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• Cooperate
• Being stubborn is counterproductive. You should
  be willing to negotiate some terms and remain
  flexible. Understand that you might not achieve
  all your wishes, but the outcome can be favorable
  if your ex-spouse is also willing to be flexible
  while making decisions.

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• Be Patient
• Some people are often under the impression that
  all divorce cases should end up in court. This
  is not always true as couples can sometimes
  resolve their issues outside of court. Before a
  divorce mediation process, take your time and do
  some research on different ways that you can
  approach it. Gather yourself, consult marriage
  counselors, and collect information on the best
  practices for making choices during mediation.
  Do not rush things. Slow and steady moves win
  the race.
•  
• Hire More Divorce Experts
• Do not expect one professional to handle
  everything for you during a divorce mediation
  process. If there is a retirement fund that
  needs to be divided, a business that needs
  valuation, or outstanding tax liabilities, then
  you can easily see why more than one professional
  is needed to help you handle the divorce.

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• Balance Your Interests And Those Of Your Children
• Never assume that what is best for you should
  also be best for your children. Always remember
  that your children have different needs than you
  do. We understand that you love your kids and it
  would take a bullet for them. But this does not
  mean that you do not have needs. Moving to a new
  school district to allow you to reduce the number
  of hours you spend to drive to a job that you
  have held for several years is not about your
  childrenit is about you. Additionally,
  introducing a new love around your kids as your
  friend within a few months post-separation is
  not about your children but you.
• Divorce mediation does not have to be a train
  wreck. Implement the above tips and you will be
  more likely to have a smoother experience.