3 Steps to Take When Filing for Divorce
In order to be sure that you end your marriage in the fairest way possible, while still satisfying all legal requirements, it is important that you follow the necessary protocol. There are a lot of things you should keep in mind regarding your divorce, and a number of family law lawyers who will gladly step in and assist you. Take advantage of the guidelines below so that you can move on and tackle the divorce in the most reasonable way possible.
#1: Go Through the Preliminary Steps of Ending or Saving Your Marriage
The most powerful thing you can do before getting a divorce is knowing without a shadow of a doubt that you actually want a divorce. A great deal of people hastily step into the divorce process or file without knowing what they actually want. One way to decide on reconciliation or divorce is to hire a marriage counselor who can sit down with the two of you. Make sure that the counselor is completely impartial and able to go over every detail of the problems you are enduring. Marriage counseling can cost between $50 per hour and $200 per hour and is worth every penny if it helps you understand how you want to move forward.
#2: Seek a Cooperative Divorce If at All Possible
Collaborating during divorce is easily the most practical solution when you are ready to end your marriage. Not only does it get you on the same page in terms of reaching agreements, but it is also cheaper than actually taking the case to court and contesting each other's points. There are a lot of family lawyers who can serve as impartial mediators for you. Mediation for a divorce can cost $100 per hour and up in many cases.
#3: Find a Divorce Lawyer Who Can Protect Your Interests
In order to make sure that you are not getting shortchanged in terms of splitting assets, dividing money, deciding upon custody, and other issues, you would need to retain the service of a family law attorney. Even if your divorce ends up being collaborative, it is better to, at the very least, seek the help of a family law attorney during the beginning to know where you stand. To hire a family law attorney for the entirety of the divorce, you can expect to pay anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000 when it is all said and done.