Getting a Divorce? 5 Tips to Avoid a Huge Legal Bill | Divorce

By HowardMacKinnon
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Divorce is difficult enough when everything goes smoothly. But when huge legal bills are pilled on the added stress can be a nightmare. Here is a list of 5 important considerations that could help ease the financial burden significantly.

1. Do you really even need to hire a lawyer? If you are unsure of your legal rights or responsibilities then there is no substitute for the advice of a lawyer, especially one with experience in divorce matters. However, once you have had your questions answered, you may find that you can handle your divorce on your own - or with just a little help.

In about 90% of divorces the spouses are not actually disputing anything. They both agree that the marriage has effectively ended and need the divorce to tidy up the legal loose ends. While court staff are usually not permitted to assist there are two other sources you can look to for help other than lawyers.

One is a do-it-yourself divorce kit. You can buy one of these for about $30 at most bookstores or office supply stores. They give you the basic information you need along with the blank forms you will need to fill out. It will still take some time to read through and figure out what they are telling you to do but it has the advantage of being the cheapest possible option.

An easier alternative is a little more costly, between $200 and $300, but still much cheaper than hiring a lawyer. The Internet has several divorce document preparation services which will send you all the forms you need, already completed and ready for you to sign. You just follow the instructions they provide to file the forms with the court office. Yes, this is more expensive than the kits but much easier and will still save you a great deal compared with hiring a law firm.

2. Hire a mediator. If there are some issues that you and your spouse have been unable to settle by yourselves a mediator should be the next person you turn to for help. Mediation is where your negotiations are assisted by a person who has specific training in helping two sides come to an agreement they can both live with. Most issues, even the most dificult issues, will be resolved through mediation.

Compared to a divorce trial which you can expect to cost each spouse tens of thousands of dollars, mediation will only cost a few thousand each, possibly even less.

3. If you need legal advice see how much of it you can get for free by taking advantage of the common 30 minute free consultation. Be sure to ask if the lawyer offers these freebies before you make an appointment. They are common enough that if you call around you should be able to find someone who will talk to you for a while for free.

4. You always need to keep in mind that every minute your lawyer works on your case will be added to your bill - at a rate of between $150 to $400 per hour. Think of that every time you are tempted to call for an update or to complain about the latest thing your spouse did to annoy you. Instead, ask for copies of all correspondence to be sent to you and for a regular monthly update. It's almost always better (and cheaper) to make notes and discuss everything with your lawyer at once than contacting him/her about each little thing.

5. Negotiate a flat fee with your lawyer. This may not be easy, or even possible, as most lawyers charge by the hour. But if you can do it the peace of mind of knowing what the legal bill is going to look like at the end of the day is worth making the attempt. It also allows both you and your lawyer to focus on the real issues and not on who to minimize/maximize the bill.

About the Author

Visit the author's site at Divorce Canada as an example of a divorce document assembly service mentioned in this article. This location also provides hundreds of pages packed with useful suggestions.

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