Common Divorce Questions: How Much Does A Divorce Cost?

 One question almost every person who is beginning the divorce process asks is, “How much is this going to cost?”

The definitive answer is, “It all depends.”

There is no way to predict exactly how much a divorce will cost since it depends entirely on how contentious the spouses are. Family law attorneys almost all work on an hourly rate. If the couple can work together and settle most of their issues between themselves, the attorneys will spend less time on the case and the divorce will cost less than for those who argue and need to have a lot of documents prepared and court intervention.

Ballpark Estimates and Factors that Increase Costs of the Divorce

Anytime there is a hearing in a family law case, attorney fees are easily around $2,500, give or take. The attorney will bill for the time spent preparing for the hearing, time spent at the actual hearing, and then time spent drafting the order for the court to sign after the hearing. Sometimes, there are fees incurred to get an order entered with the court.

If your case needs to go to trial, that will cost at least a minimum of $10,000. There is a lot of work an attorney must do to prepare for trial. In addition, there is the time spent in court for the trial, plus time spent to prepare follow-up paperwork after the trial is over.

There are other actions that can drive up the cost of the divorce:

• If the case is headed for trial, there will be deposition costs for witnesses. Attorneys for both parties must be paid for their time in addition to paying for a court reporter to make a record of the deposition, prepare the transcript of the witness’s testimony, and then provide copies to both attorneys.
• If expert witnesses are required to make a report or testify on issues like child custody and visitation, division of property, or other issues, the witness must be paid for his or her time and the attorney must also be paid for time spent on issues relevant to the expert.
• Court filing fees for filing of documents.
• Other court costs.

If the couple can agree on the division of assets, and other issues like child custody and visitation (conservatorship and possession in Texas), attorney time will be less, court costs will be less, there will be no need for expert witnesses, and the cost of the divorce can be better anticipated and controlled.

At Martinez Legal, P.C., we tell people that the way to save money on their divorce, quit fighting. The more we can stay out of court, the less money the client will spend on attorney fees. If you can reach a settlement agreement, you will save money. Contact us to see how we can help you with your divorce and how we can work together to keep the costs down as much as possible.