How Can I Reduce Attorney’s Fees In My Divorce?
All divorce clients ask their attorney, just like all other consumers, want to know, “how much will it cost?” The answer to how much will your divorce will cost is, like most legal questions, “It depends.” But consult with your attorney because there actually are things that you and/or your spouse can do to minimize the fees and expenses of getting divorced. A divorce proceeding can be very time consuming and expensive depending on which route you and your spouse decide to take. If you are positive that a divorce is necessary, are able to speak with and meet with your spouse in a civil manner, and do not want to spend a bunch of time and money going through the divorce process, then the best route is an uncontested divorce. In an uncontested divorce you and your spouse are able to come to a written agreement to resolve all issues involved in the divorce, including child custody and time sharing, child support, alimony and division of property and debts. On the other hand, there are certainly times when divorcing spouses cannot agree on all issues, or cannot speak to one another in a civil manner due to the parties’ history. Even then, there are things you can go to reduce costs and expenses. As your Orlando divorce attorney will tell you, the single biggest factor in reducing the costs and expenses of a divorce is to informally work things out with your spouse, to the extent you are able to do so. Even if you can’t agree on everything, you should be able to agree on something
Top Divorce Settlement Issues to Discuss with Your Spouse
Do you have children? If so, try to work together to create a parenting plan that suits both of your schedules. Florida divorce law favors timesharing with both parents so be realistic and discuss a timesharing arrangement that works best for the children. Once the actual schedule is determined, figuring out child support becomes simplified. Do you own real property as a married couple? Is there any bitcoin or cryptocurrency involved? Although this is not always an easy conversation, try talking to your spouse about the options you have when it comes to your marital property. Should mother or father remain in the home? With the children? Will one spouse refinance the home into their name or agree to sell it later and split the proceeds. What about your personal property? Items like cars, bank accounts, bicycles, furniture, exercise equipment, and art. Make a list of items that you believe are yours personally, and have your spouse do the same. Then make a list of the personal property that you own together. When both lists are completed, sit down with each other and discuss the items and how exactly you would like to separate them. Do you have debts? Just like your personal property, make a list of all debts and liabilities that you have together, and as an individual. Items like car loans, credit cards, home equity loans, and the like. Discuss these debts and how you should divide them up. The default for a division of property and debts in divorce is 50/50 for both assets and debts, absent compelling facts that would cause the court to award an unequal distribution of assets or debts. But if you and your spouse are able to come to an agreement, you can divide the assets and debts as you wish, if it facilitates a settlement of the case. The court in a divorce typically does not analyze property settlements in detail but instead, allows the parties some leeway to be creative and work out a solution. If you can implement some or all of the suggestions above, your Orlando divorce should go a bit more smoothly and should be less expensive as well. Learn from the mistakes of others and make sure you and your spouse voluntarily agree to settlement.
Contact an Experienced Orlando Divorce Attorney
Call the Spence Law Firm for a free consultation to discuss any questions you may have about your case.