Divorce and separation is never easy, it’s such a difficult decision to make, then after you do, then there’s the daunting thoughts of now what? Where do I go from here? Will I/We be okay after the dust settles?
I’ve heard so many say that getting separated costs 10’s of thousands of dollars, that people fight for months and sometimes years before they come to an agreement. Well I was 1 of those people/files, my personal divorce took 6 years and cost over $100,000.00, but that was my story and it isn’t going to be the same for you. What is similar however, is that nothing in the legal system is quick, lawyers are not cheap and certainly benefit the most financially by your separation process.
What if we don’t want that, and instead have just accepted that we don’t work as a married couple anymore? Are there options? ABSOLUTELY.
Our naivety gets us into trouble, it can lead us down an expensive, unreasonably costly path. More often than not, it’s our emotions that get the best of us, so we act out of haste, we lead with the hope someone else will make sure you’re going to be okay. What we don’t realize is that when others are making the decisions for us, be it a lawyer, a Justice, their lives go on untouched, while were trying to figure out what just happened.
When you’ve made the decision to part ways, the very next step is to breath, do your homework, start attending free consultations with professionals until one of them feels like the right fit and that doesn’t mean the cheapest, but the person who answered your initial questions, who actually ‘heard’ you, who doesn’t look to fuel the fire, but instead understands and provides you with a step by step method to conclude this chapter without leaving you feeling like you have no idea what anything that person said means.
Is hiring a lawyer from the onset really what you need? Once you’re in this process of litigation, it requires you each to retain a lawyer, those costs will start at if you’re lucky~$3,000.00 each, then hourly rates will be applicable starting at ~$400.00/hour. Honestly, you’re in over your head before you’ve even begun.
Choose a process that’s cost effective, time efficient, and results in a FAIR, REALISTIC, REASONABLE resolve.
