“We want to get divorced but we can’t afford to.”
“He makes all the money so he can afford an attorney but I can’t.”
A complicated or highly contested divorce can cost each party tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees. However, most divorces are pretty standard in terms of the issues that need to be decided. If there are children then their care and visitation needs to be established, and the property - assets and debts – needs to be divided.
“Can’t I just represent myself?”
I wouldn’t recommend that. Divorce is a major life event and has long-reaching financial consequences. If you have children, the stakes are even higher. Where your children will live and how much time you will have with them will be decided in the divorce and those things are not easy to change in court later.
How to pay for your divorce.
Does your employer provide legal services benefits such as the Hyatt Legal Plan? For example, John Deere and Target Distribution provide this benefit. Individual plans vary in what they cover. We accept Hyatt Legal and we can explain what your benefits are and how they affect your case.
If the other party has more financial resources than you, you can ask the court to order the other party to contribute to your attorney fees.
How to lower the cost of your divorce.
Use a combination of do-it-yourself and unbundled legal services. Unbundled legal services allow you to pay a flat fee for the drafting of a specific document without retaining an attorney for your whole case.
Agree to as much as you can.
Mediate
Negotiate
Compromise
If you have low income, you may be eligible to have the filing fees waived.
If you have questions about divorce or other family law matters, contact Lori or Jamie at 319-234-2530 or generalupdates@sayerlaw.com.
