When you end your marriage, you need to go to court and have your marriage officially dissolved. Unfortunately, this process costs money. In fact, in some cases, the process of divorcing your spouse can cost you a lot of money. While there are things that you can do to try to keep your costs down, some of the expenses associated with divorce are inevitable and unavoidable. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to determine how much a divorce is going to cost as there are a lot of different things that affect the final price of ending your marriage.
The Costs of Divorce
When you get a divorce, there are a number of different costs that must be paid including:
- Court filing fees.
- Attorneys costs and fees.
- Copying costs.
- Service of process costs (costs for having your spouse officially served with divorce papers).
The specifics of these expenses are going to vary. For example, court filing fees are determined by the district in which you live. Those who live in the Fifth District (which includes Blue Earth and Nicolett, for example) will have court filing fees of $390.00 for a divorce as well as additional law library fees. If you cannot afford these fees, you may be able to request a fee waiver but this is not granted in all situations.
Your attorneys costs and fees are going to be determined based on the amount of time that you spend with your lawyer and the amount of time your attorney works on your case. Typically, a simple divorce is much less costly than a complex divorce with lots of issues to be decided. If you and your spouse are able to negotiate an out-of-court settlement agreement, this can significantly lower your attorney fees as well because you will not have to pay for the costs of a litigated divorce. However, you should always have a lawyer to protect your rights, even when you are concerned about legal fees, because it can cost you much more not to have a lawyer if you do not end up getting the financial settlement you deserve.
Hire a Mediator
If you and your spouse are trying to work out an out-of-court settlement and you don’t agree on all of the legal issues, you may incur additional costs to hire a mediator. A mediator is a third party who can help you to try to resolve the differences that you have so you are able to agree on a divorce settlement. While it may seem like a bad idea to spend extra money for a mediator, the fact is that this can still save you money over a litigated divorce provided both you and your spouse are truly committed to working out your issues during the mediation process. Your attorney can advise you on whether the costs of pursuing mediation are worth it in your case.
Meet with a Southern Minnesota Divorce Attorney
If you are going through a divorce it is important that you meet with an experienced divorce attorney for help. Meet with the divorce attorneys at Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Offices Chtd. today or call 507-405-2442 to schedule an initial consultation .