Can a Divorce Be Cheap? About Affordable Divorce
You have just decided to get a divorce, and you immediately feel a sense of relief. You look forward to splitting up with your spouse and moving on with your life. At the same time, you’re worried about one of the most important aspects of any divorce proceeding in California: the financial repercussions.
Not only are you concerned about matters like property division and alimony but also you’re worried about the cost of the divorce process itself. Are there affordable lawyers for divorce? Especially good ones?
The reality is that a divorce can indeed be cheap when you hire the right attorney to help you. Here’s a look at what an affordable divorce looks like in San Diego.
The Cost of Divorce in California
Divorce cases in California can cost anywhere from $5,000 to about $40,000 depending on various factors, as every divorce is different. However, there are some that are even less, and some that are even more.
Keep in mind that if you have young children and thus must address child custody, concluding your divorce can become more expensive. In addition, the more complicated your assets are, the longer it can take to sort them out as part of the asset distribution process.
Also, note that the divorce process can last anywhere from eight months to 20 months in California, as the court calendars remain quite full. This process lasts around 15 months on average.
In light of the above, you may be wondering, “Can a divorce actually be cheap?”
The reality is that divorce can truly be affordable when you choose the right lawyer. Some dishonest lawyers try to take advantage of family law clients by adding billable hours unnecessarily with the goal of increasing their clients’ divorce costs. The right lawyer, however, will respect your time and communicate with you in a fair and honest manner.
Other Methods for Achieving an Affordable Marital Breakup
As you seek affordable lawyers for divorce, look for an attorney who is committed to saving you money during your marital breakup process.
For instance, you may want to try engaging in informal negotiations with your soon-to-be-ex when dealing with matters such as property division and child custody. Achieving a mutually satisfactory settlement outside of court tends to be less stressful and costly than proceeding to divorce trial. In other words, a divorce can be cheap if you choose settlement over traditional divorce litigation.
If you and your future ex have a prenuptial agreement or postnuptial agreement in place, this can help to reduce conflict and thus expedite the divorce process and decrease costs for you.
Even if divorce litigation is unavoidable, the right attorney will be dedicated to pushing the family law court and the opposing attorney to be as expeditiously as possible with your divorce case. He or she will respect your time, work to safeguard your legal rights, and fight for an outcome that is ultimately in your best interests given the circumstances surrounding your marital breakup.
Take Advantage of Affordable Legal Help with Your Divorce in San Diego Today
I, Michael C. MacNeil, take pride in offering unparalleled, top-of-the-line divorce help. I stand out in that I always emphasize the wellbeing of my clients, which distinguishes me from lawyers focused solely on billable hours or legal results. In addition, I offer legal help at affordable prices in San Diego, as I believe that a divorce can indeed be cheap.
The uniqueness of my practice stems from my own troubling experiences during my own divorce. I was exposed first-hand to unethical practices, like foot-dragging to increase billable hours. It is for this reason that I started my practice with the goal of caring about my clients rather than the bottom line. Because I believe that a divorce can be cheap, I personally attend to each of my clients so that nobody falls prey to bureaucratic tricks such as overbilling.
I also offer low-cost consultations on any family law matter.
Get in touch with me to set up a free consultation and learn more about my affordable divorce services. I will take the necessary steps to make your marital dissolution as smooth and cost-effective as possible in California.