family-law-case-or-divorce

Family law cases, especially divorces are always troublesome. The whole process is full of stress, dilemma and anxiety. The worst part is, such cases are usually expensive, which can deliberately stretch the budget. As per the study, the court fees, legal fees, attorney fees are undoubtedly expensive and cost up to $20,000. Besides, the overall costs will depend upon the tenure of the case. In such a situation, you should plan in a right way to ease the overall cost and to start a new journey with good financial support.

9 Ways to save money on the family law case or divorce

Remember, almost all experienced family lawyers charge their clients by the hour. However, you should get a written agreement, where the fees, refund policy, hourly rates will be mentioned clearly. Below are some other ways to reduce the cost of a family law case.

1. Find out the right attorney for the case

Try to find out the right attorney from the very beginning of your case. Because, the process of hiring the second attorney will cost you more money. Remember, once the case has been started, changing the old attorney and hiring another can be expensive and can prolong the case. So, you need to research thoroughly to find out an efficient lawyer who is competent in the area of family law. Ask your close relatives, friends to get the best referrals.

2. List down the queries to reduce phone bills

You’ll end up with a long list of phone bills if new questions come into your mind whenever you call your attorney. Frequent phone calls to an attorney can lead to higher cost. So, try to make a list of your queries which comes to your mind and consider making one call each day instead of ringing repeatedly.

3. Make yourself accessible to the attorney

Your attorney may have many questions to ask. So, try to respond the attorney as soon as possible. If your attorney fails to contact you, then he/she may charge you more than usual.

4. Provide all the necessary information beforehand

Try to make a list of liabilities and assets, both of you've accumulated, including financial account numbers and total balances. Provide all the information at the beginning of the case. Thus, you’ll be able to reduce future litigation costs.

5. Don’t consider your attorney as a therapist

Legal cases, especially divorce cases are emotional. Often, people tend to consider their attorney as their therapist to feel good. They share and discuss almost each and every dilemma arrived in their life. Remember, a lawyer will charge a client on the basis of the time he spent and the advice he gives. Moreover, every time you’re talking over the phone with your attorney, you’ll be charged by the hour. So, try to consider him as an attorney and seek the legal advice that is required for your case. No need to spend too much time on discussing issues, which can prolong the discussion with the attorney.

6. Organize all the documents

Try to gather all the necessary documents and provide it to the attorney. Below is a list of documents you need to provide:

  • Wedding date
  • Divorce date
  • Tax returns
  • Stock accounts
  • Mortgage statements
  • Purchase documents
  • Real estate (if any)
  • Financial records
  • Refinance documents
  • Life insurance policies (if any)
  • Statements of debt (credit cards, loans)
  • Automobile title documents
  • Pre- or post-nuptial agreements (if any)
  • Bank statements
  • Credit card bills
  • Pension plans

Try to provide them in a chronological order and make sure all documents are there. Providing unorganized documents will charge you extra cost, which you can avoid by doing the work in a right way.

7. Consult with your attorney via email

For day-to-day issues or suggestions, you can contact your attorney via email. Thus, the attorney can give you the answer easily and you can send the documents conveniently. Make sure your account is safe or else create a new email id with secured password.

8. Be sure about your objective

A determination is important for such cases. For instance, if custody and time sharings are the issues you want to resolve, then make a detailed list for child custody and time- sharing at the very beginning of your case, and mention every possible reason such as “why your child should live with you”. Your objective will help the lawyer to focus on your lawsuit, which will save both the money and time.

9. Think about alternative option

Obviously, a long court case will end up with high legal fees. Moreover, frustration and bad feeling can be there. There are some options to avoid this type of traumatic situations such as collaborative law, arbitration, and mediation. By choosing any of these options, you can significantly limit the costs related to the lawsuit and avoid the awkward situation as well.

Bottom line

However, if you and the other party agree on a certain limit, then the case will resolve soon. Thus, you can save some money, so it’s advisable to agree whenever possible. But, do ask your family law attorney before making any compromisation. If the issue is important for you, then you shouldn’t give up the case. Think over the issue critically and ask yourself “how reasonable you’re with your goal”. Remember, having a realistic goal can make such family law cases easier to resolve which will save your money and time.

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