Making Smart Decisions During Divorce

Divorce is not always something that is planned in advance. On the contrary, many couples decide they want a divorce due to a drastic change in their relationship, whether it is a discovered infidelity or something else. Therefore, not everyone has extra money hanging out in a bank account that they can use to pay for a divorce. If this is something you are currently facing, you will no doubt want to get your divorce, get on with your life, and spend as little money as possible. Here are a few ways you can keep your divorce as cheap as possible:

Try your best to file an uncontested divorce. 

Uncontested divorces can only occur if both parties agree to the divorce. In a lot of situations, one party will be committed to going through with the divorce and the other will be iffy about the whole idea. It is always best, and more affordable if you can file uncontested; it is less time-consuming for the attorney and will cost less overall. Try your best to get in agreement about filing, even if it takes an outright explanation that you will be filing whether the other person agrees or not. 

Work out property distribution before you file. 

Sit down with your soon-to-be ex-spouse and decide who should rightly get what property, assets, and money that the two of you have accumulated during the marriage. This can take some time, and it can take some uncomfortable discussions. However, when you finally visit a divorce lawyer for help, having all this laid out will mean you won't have to pay for things like mediation or time in court while a judge figures out who should get what and why. 

Avoid getting into child custody battles. 

If you have children as a result of the marriage, child custody may naturally be a part of the divorce. Some attorneys will charge based on how much time they spend with you in court and how much time they spend on your case. If there are disputes about child custody, these matters can obviously take a lot longer to settle. It is always best if you can come to an agreement before you file for a divorce so the burden will not be on the attorney to prove who should get the custody rights and why. Collecting evidence for a child custody case can be a tedious and arduous process.