How Can You Reduce the Costs of Divorce?

If you are concerned about the costs of your divorce, it is a good idea to talk with a Newport Beach divorce attorney as soon as you have decided that you wish to end your marriage. Your attorney will discuss your options for making your marriage dissolution process as quick and as affordable as possible. 

Brown & Charbonneau, LLP understands that the cost of divorce can be a major financial burden for most families. Our experienced legal team will help you from day one to work towards lowering your overall divorce costs while still protecting your rights and getting the best outcome possible. Give us a call today to speak with a member of our legal team to find out more.

Tips for Reducing the Costs of Divorce

Huffington Post reports that the average cost of divorce is around $15,000 to $20,000. Costs include court fees; parent education classes; mediation expenses; fees for expert witnesses and neutral evaluators; and legal fees. If you and your spouse own property together, you may also face additional expenditures like the cost of refinancing a mortgage into only one spouse’s name; the cost of retitling property; or the cost of real estate commissions for the sale of joint property.

These costs are average costs, with some divorces costing much more and other divorces costing much less. You have a great deal of control over how much you will end up spending to dissolve your marriage, and there are ways to keep costs much lower. For example, some tips for reducing the costs of your divorce include:

• Work towards consensus. If you and your spouse can come to a divorce settlement agreement outside of court, you can save thousands of dollars in court costs, expert witness costs, and legal fees as compared with litigation expenses.
• Be willing to compromise. You need to be reasonable if you and your spouse are going to get through the divorce process without spending a fortune litigating against each other.
• Know what you’re rights are. You do want to compromise, but you do not want to give up on property or money that you are entitled to receive as part of the divorce settlement.
• Avoid letting anger or emotion rule. It is tempting to want to punish your spouse during the divorce process, especially if you did not want to end the marriage or if you believe that the divorce is your spouse’s fault. Don’t give into this temptation, as it will only hurt you both and will have an adverse impact on your own financial future as well as your spouse’s financial future.
• Try to keep living costs down during divorce. It can be expensive to maintain two households, especially if you have a family home that either of you cannot afford on one income. Consider trying to remain in the same household until your divorce is final and/or until the house is sold if you cannot afford to maintain independent residences.

If both you and your spouse are willing to work together and are serious about keeping the costs of divorce reasonable, you can often get your marriage dissolved without destroying your financial security or breaking your budget.

How a Newport Beach Divorce Attorney Helps You Keep Costs Down

While many people are concerned that legal fees will be a big driving factor in divorce costs, the reality is that hiring a Newport Beach divorce attorney can actually help you to keep the expenditures more reasonable. Your attorney can help you to keep costs down by explaining your rights, negotiating with your ex’s lawyer on your behalf, and advising you throughout the divorce process.

When you and your spouse are each represented by a lawyer, you will have a more realistic idea of what to expect during the divorce process. You can keep emotions out of the picture and be more informed during negotiations so you are more likely to come to a consensus. When your lawyers help you to agree out-of-court early on in the process, you can save a considerable amount of time and money.

Getting Legal Help from a Newport Beach Divorce Attorney

No one wants to go through a stressful and expensive divorce process, but it can happen if you and your spouse don’t make the best possible choices from day one. An experienced Newport Beach divorce attorney will assist you. Your attorney can help you to decide on the best ways to end your marriage affordably and can help throughout the process of trying to reach an out-of-court divorce settlement agreement.

To find out more and to get started today in working on a low cost divorce, contact Brown & Charbonneau, LLP at (866)237-8129 or contact us online.