The first question on the minds of those who wish to file for Divorce is, ‘What is the cost?‘. Legal Action Workshop, a Flat Fee Law Firm, offers 2 prices, namely $725 or $999 depending on whether you have children and/or property or not. However, there are other factors that may impact the price for Divorce.
One of the most important factors is cooperation. If your spouse is cooperative, he/she can be served by mail and, if needed, an agreement can be prepared which would avoid a court appearance. In most cases this is an uncontested divorce and can be finalized for a reasonable rate. However, if your spouse does not wish to cooperate, he/she would typically be served by another adult (not a child of the marriage), sheriff or a process server. The fees for not cooperating are higher and vary depending on the situation. In most cases this would mean that the divorce is contested.
When the spouse ‘responds’ when served, an agreement would be needed in order to finalize the Divorce and avoid a court appearance. If the spouse does not wish to sign an agreement, the parties typically go to trial (Note: filing fees are additional & may be waived by the court). Here’s a comparison of the cost of cooperating vs not cooperating for a short marriage with no issues:
- the cost of a ‘default’ Divorce (when the respondent does not respond) with a short marriage, no issues and cooperation could be as low as $725 (flat fee cost of this type of Divorce)
- the cost of the same Divorce (short marriage, no issues) when the spouse ‘responds’ and is uncooperative could be in excess of $3,000 (usually much higher–dependent on the Attorney and his/her fee structure)
Another comparison of a marriage with issues when the parties cooperate and when they don’t:
- the cost of a Divorce wherein the parties agree on their issues could be as low as $1499 (flat fee cost of Divorce plus a Marital Settlement Agreement or Stipulation)
- the cost of a Divorce without agreement on issues, and when the respondent ‘responds’ could be in excess of $5,000 (usually much higher–dependent on the Attorney and his/her fee structure)
Cooperation is extremely important. If there are no issues, then the parties can cooperate as to the process. If there are issues (spousal support, child support, child custody, division of property etc.), the parties can work to agree on them and have a marital settlement agreement or stipulation prepared. This would avoid further hearings or trial. Cooperation will lower the cost of Divorce substantially.
Attorneys typically charge hourly/retainer fees or flat fees. An hourly/retainer Attorney will be more costly than a flat rate Attorney. The parties will need legal advice to understand their issues and how to reasonably address them.
If you are interested in LOW FLAT FEES for your Divorce, give Legal Action Workshop a call @ 1-800-HELP-444 (1-800-435-7444) or visit our website for more information @ www.LegalActionWorkshopLAW.com .