IS THIS PROCESS RIGHT FOR YOUR SITUATION?
We only accept clients who are in total agreement with their soon-to-be-ex-spouse. This total agreement includes division of all of the assets, such as the house, the cars and the pets. You have to agree how you will divide retirement funds, investments and checking accounts. Additionally, you have to agree on how to divide the debts, such as credit cards, medical bills, the mortgage and the like.
If you have children, the parents have to come to agreements on where the kids spend school nights, weekends, summers and holidays. You also have to agree how to discuss and divide the responsibilities for your child or children, such as signing them up for sports, taking them to the doctor and paying for medical treatments. You must also agree on an amount for child support, who will provide insurance and pay for your children’s needs.
In other words, you have to be fully in agreement on everything.
There are benefits to getting an uncontested divorce. The process is a lot less stressful. You will not have multiple court appearances, spend hours gathering up documents for your lawyer, and miss work to work on your case. An uncontested divorce is a lot less expensive too. It can be very costly to go through the early stages of litigation. There is the cost of mediation, which is $500-$1,000 total. Sometimes, attorneys are appointed for the children, which costs at least $1,000. Many retainer fees for divorce lawyers start at least $2,000. By the time you reach the pretrial stage, it is not uncommon to have spent $10,000 on fees, costs and attorneys fees. I see attorney fee bills of over $25,000 for cases that have not been tried, and trial bills that are several thousand more. Finally, there is the uncertainty of litigation. When a case is tried, the judge will usually determine that one parent will have more time, how you will spend holidays with your children, who will pay the debts and who will get the assets. Then, there is the question of whether the losing party will appeal the case.
If you sit down, push past your hurt feelings, act reasonably, you can craft a plan for your future without the same expense, stress or financial commitment.
If you and your soon to be ex-spouse or ex-partner can reach these agreements, then we can help you with your case