Divorce is rarely easy and never fun. It can also be devastating to your finances. If you are considering a divorce, you may be wondering how much the process will cost. There are no exact answers as each divorce is different, but there are several factors that will drive up the cost of your marital split.
How Much Does a Divorce Cost?
Marriage is easy to get into and difficult to get out of. Divorces run the gamut of prices, from quick, easy and uncontested splits to acrimonious battles that rage on for years, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees. The amount your divorce will cost depends ultimately on how willing you are to cooperate with your soon-to-be former spouse. The Mediation and collaborative divorce processes are significantly less costly than a litigated divorce.
Bitter Battles Equal Big Bucks
If your spouse is determined to fight you over every little thing, you better get your checkbook ready. The average contested divorce can can quickly deplete your assets when you factor in the ongoing attorney’s fees, lost time from work and related costs. If one of you doesn’t want the divorce and is determined to fight to the death, the fees will be high.
Time is Money
Generally speaking, the quicker you work out the issues in your divorce, the less expensive it will be. Fighting in court for years will cost you valuable years out of your life and drain your savings.
As the saying goes, “love is grand, divorce is twenty grand.”
Seriously, everyone’s divorce is different. The best thing you can do is to sit down with a New Jersey divorce attorney early and discuss your case. An experienced attorney can give you a better idea of what to expect based given your particular circumstances as well as ways to end your marriage without emptying your bank account.
