Many people ask about how much their divorce will cost. The truth is, there is no specific answer. We can’t tell you ahead of time exactly how much it will cost because there’s no telling how long it will take and what issues we may run into. The best we can do is help you estimate the cost of divorce with the information we all have. The divorce attorneys at C. Alvarez Law can explain.
The Factors that Affect the Cost of Divorce
If you are divorcing and concerned about the cost, it is important to understand what factors can cause a divorce to become costly. In general, five main categories determine how much the process will cost:
- Attorney rate
- Trial, Mediation, or Arbitration
- Amicable vs. hostile divorce
- Length of marriage/amount of assets
- Children
Overall, the driving cost of divorce is how long it takes and these factors determine if your divorce will last a long time or a short time. If you have an attorney with a low rate, but the divorce lasts years, you’ll likely pay more than someone who finished their divorce in a handful of months with a high-rate attorney.
Divorce Attorney Rate
Many attorneys have a fluctuating rate that depends on how their current caseload, their geographical location, and the current economy. For our current rate, contact us for a consultation.
To Go to Trial, Arbitration, or Mediation
Arbitration and mediation are alternatives to the classic trial process you’ve heard of. With arbitration and mediation, you agree to speak and negotiate with your soon-to-be ex-spouse about the terms of your divorce. Mediation is where both parties create and agree on their divorce contract, whereas arbitration is where the selected arbitrator makes the final decision after hearing both sides.
Both should take less time – but can potentially be longer – than a trial. Arbitration can be more expensive than mediation because of the arbitrator, but it should be less expensive than going to trial.
Can You and Your Spouse Get Along?
Do you know what will increase the length of your divorce more than anything? You and your spouse fighting over every clause, every asset, and every aspect of your custody agreement (if you have children). Spouses who can’t get along are the leading cause of why a divorce runs so long.
While you don’t need to get along to go through arbitration or mediation, combative spouses will cause negotiations to break down, leading to one or both needing to get new attorneys to proceed to trial.
In case you didn’t know, attorneys have to legally agree to arbitration or mediation. This means that if negotiations break down, they cannot represent either spouse in a trial. This is why you would need a new attorney, so truly, it’s best to be as amicable as possible or to prepare for a potentially long divorce.
The Longer the Marriage, the More Assets You Will Have
While it’s not guaranteed, if you have been married for decades, you and your spouse are likely to have accumulated a lot of assets. Even in an amicable divorce, it takes time to separate, divide, and potentially sell them.
Some assets cannot be split and need to go to one person or the other. In the case of a business, you may have to continue co-owning it. If your divorce is after a short marriage, then you may have an easier time dividing assets as they were less likely to be intermingled in a short period of time you were married.
More Children, More Custody Agreements
If you have children, you don’t suddenly stop being a parent to them post-divorce, and your ex-spouse doesn’t stop being your co-parent. You have to decide who can decide what, who will care for them when, and how you will divide your time with your children.
While this can seem stressful and a terrible situation with no upsides, many people across the country raise healthy and happy children despite being separated from the other parent. We can use these examples to help you and your spouse create a custody agreement that works best for you, and especially your children.
Contact the Divorce Attorneys of C. Alvarez Law Today
Overall, divorcing can be a costly process, but there are ways to help keep costs down. It is important to take into consideration the factors that come with the process as well as the emotional toll it may take on both parties involved.
There are many options for how you can handle it, and we can help you determine which is right for you. If you’re going through a divorce, and want to help control the costs, contact the divorce attorneys at C. Alvarez Law today.
C. Alvarez Law
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