There are many difficulties associated with divorce, but one of the more overlooked ones is the cost of the process. In fact, depending on the surrounding factors, divorce can potentially cost up to $100,000 or more. The good news is that there are ways to make divorce much more affordable; however, this does heavily depend on the nature of your relationship with your ex spouse. According to Forbes Magazine, having a mediated or collaborative divorce is a great way to save money on the process.
The most common type of divorce is trial divorce, and this is where you end up if the parties cannot agree on anything and everything has to be mediated by a judge and a team of lawyers. This variety of divorce is by far the most expensive. However, if you and your ex-spouse are in a position to negotiate, collaborative divorce or mediation saves a lot of money. In mediation, often lawyers are not involved at all. Rather, both parties come together with a third-party mediator to talk out all parts of the divorce. This is the cheapest option if it is possible.
However, in situations where the parties agree on most things and are willing to negotiate but could use a little bit of legal help, a collaborative divorce may be a good option. In a collaborative divorce, both parties have their own lawyer but everybody sits down at the negotiating table to talk about all facets involved with the divorce. If there are any difficult sticking points, the lawyers can help the involved parties negotiate a solution.
When getting divorced, trial divorce is not the only option. In fact, you can save thousands of dollars going with an alternative.
