How much does a divorce cost in the United States? The cost of a divorce is a figure that will depend on many factors, so it is not possible to talk about a specific amount. In the United States, there are multiple elements to value, ranging from the lawyer’s fees, to the documents that are required along with the immense amount of printing and photocopying.
If you are in the United States and are facing a divorce process, pay attention to the following sections, where you will find information that you would not want to miss, especially if you are about to legitimize the separation of your partner.
What state are you in?
The first factor involves your precise location, as each state shows a different fee for filing a divorce lawsuit. Some states, such as Georgia and Alabama, have a $400 fee just to file this process in court. Texas and New Jersey will require $300.
You can even find states that charge only $ 80 as is the case of North Dakota respectively. Therefore, the state in which you are will determine the fee you must pay to, in principle, file the divorce application process .
Attorney’s Fees
Another factor that you should take into account are the costs of the service of the lawyer you hire. As in the case of costs per state, lawyers will also present different rates depending on the number of services they offer, as well as the complexity of the matter that this determines each case requires.
It makes us think what can make a divorce process more complex than another?
The truth is that there are different points that can affect this type of process, since not all are carried out under the same conditions, nor in the same duration.
Some lawyers may charge each spouse $10,000 for their respective procedures. This can vary depending on the state in which the divorce is taking place. However, this is just the beginning, as there are a variety of factors to consider rather than budgeted based on attorney’s fees alone.
Do spouses have children?
If there are children in the marriage, the process becomes more complex, since aspects related to the custody of minors, maintenance, their feeding and care, etc. will be discussed. The presence of children significantly increases costs, not to mention that divorcees typically find themselves in the scenario of maintaining two households after their divorce.
This is why children can make divorces more expensive. In this sense, the family will have to correctly manage the fate of the minors present in the marriage, as this will become one of the most marked interests of arbitrators and witnesses in court respectively.
Agreement of the spouses: is it possible to reach an agreement?
It is very common to observe that, in many divorce proceedings, the spouses reach a prior and private agreement before the courts. This allows them to expedite divorce much more, while avoiding confrontations regarding division of property, administration of children, etc. Requirements that may be necessary to undertake disputes between the marriage are avoided.
For this reason, it will always be important to evaluate the possibility of reaching an agreement between the spouses in advance of the divorce lawsuit. This will greatly facilitate the result sought by the separated.
Those culpable divorces usually take much longer due to these reasons. There is no mutual agreement between the parties, resulting in lengthy dispute processes over property or child custody. The parties must also extend the services of their lawyers, resulting in a much more exhausting and demanding process over time.
The division of assets: How much does a divorce cost in the United States?
Property is another element that can put divorces in certain complications. If the spouses never had common accounts or property, the course of each other’s estate is evident. When we talk about the opposite case, this merits, typically, the sale of a large part of the goods.
Some sales may take longer than expected, not to mention the constant dispute over assets and each spouse’s right to get their fair share. Sometimes, when talking about a culpable divorce, the division of the parties, although it appears as fair, may not play in favor of one of the spouses.
So how much is a divorce worth in the United States?
As can be seen, it is necessary to contrast each of these factors with the case in which a lawyer is required. It will not be the same price for a married couple who has children as one who does not. Likewise, if there is a mutual agreement between the parties, the procedure will not be so complex in terms of its costs.
Much of this response comes down to the length of the divorce, which, as we already know, will depend on how the spouses decide to conduct their joint process. Further back in the first sections, it was commented that a lawyer can charge up to $ 10,000.
Let’s understand that lawyers can charge $ 250 per hour, which is why it is very common for divorce cases to weigh up to $ 10,000 – $ 12,000 inclusive. The recommendation for all clients will always be to optimize and expedite their divorce process as much as possible, to avoid fattening the cost they must assume.
Divorces are not easy. Therefore It is important to have a professional who can offer a variety of options, among which is, even, to reach a direct agreement with the other spouse, investigating the possibility of carrying out a procedure as quickly and cheaply as possible, avoiding more losses than that, in itself, will imply the divorce.
Read also: Adultery in divorce cases in Florida; Unreasonable behavior divorce; Divorce in Florida; Rules of divorce in Islam
References: Wikipedia
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