Efficient Time Use Saves Money on Divorce

 Posted on October 09, 2019 in Divorce

Some costs are unavoidable during the divorce process. You will have to give up a share of your marital properties to your spouse as part of the agreement. A divorce court in Illinois will reject a division of property that it deems to be inequitable. There are mandatory filing and court fees. You can apply for a partial or total waiver of the fees, which the court may grant depending on how your income compares to the federal poverty level. Some divorcees will argue that an attorney is an optional expense, but representing yourself in a divorce has its own costs. There are other ways that anyone can save money on their divorce.

Help with Research

Before starting the divorce negotiations, you must prepare by identifying your marital properties and determining their value. A divorce attorney can do this research for you but will need to be paid for the hours they spend tracking down this information. The process can take days to weeks, depending on:

• How many marital properties you own
• Whether your spouse is willing to share information
• How complicated it is to value a property

You can save your attorney time and yourself money by coming to your initial meetings with some of this information prepared. Have your financial account numbers, deeds to your properties, and receipts for major purchases. Ask your attorney what information they need. You may be able to find it more quickly than them.

Focused Negotiations

Divorce negotiations can be needlessly drawn out – increasing legal fees for both sides – when spouses get into emotional arguments. Sometimes, spouses cannot come to a logical agreement because of their resentment towards each other. Other times, they can derail a negotiation session by arguing about marital disagreements that are unrelated to the negotiations. There are some arguments worth having, but they should be calm and relevant to your divorce agreement. If you let your emotions control your decisions, you may struggle with the simplest compromises.

Limit Litigation

Divorcees must appear in court when they file for a dissolution of marriage and when they submit their divorce agreement for approval. Additional court appearances occur when the two sides cannot agree on the divorce terms and require the court to decide for them. More court appearances mean more court and legal fees. Litigation may be necessary for some situations, but your first choice should be to settle the issue of our court.

Contact a Kane County Divorce Lawyer

You may notice a theme with these suggestions: time costs money. Being efficient with your time is one of the best ways to save money on your divorce. A St. Charles, Illinois, divorce attorney at Goostree Law Group can help you if the cost is one of your biggest concerns about your divorce. Schedule a free consultation by calling 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/07/22/8-ways-to-lower-the-cost-of-a-divorce/#6e2c183b4a31