How To Get Divorced On A Budget

The traditional process of getting a divorce, where each party hires an attorney to negotiate the divorce settlement either privately or before a judge, can be extremely expensive not to mention time-consuming and emotionally exhausting. For this reason, the traditional method of divorce should be considered only as a last resort.

In case you and your spouse are willing to quickly and cordially settle things, there is a cheaper and faster alternative to have your marriage dissolved through mediation. For mediation, you don’t need the services of a divorce lawyer. Instead, you rely solely on a mediator to help you sort out your separation or divorce. The mediator is a neutral third party negotiator who helps couples reach agreements on issues during a divorce.

Getting a traditional divorce in private or court can cost you a minimum of $40,000. On the other hand, a divorce through mediation can cost you between $1,500 and $3,000 from start to finish. Moreover, the advantages are endless as it keeps your children’s best interests at the forefront, it is time efficient, mediators work around your schedules, mediated agreements are long lasting, less emotional than litigating in court, help maintain civility, and more.

Want your divorce proceedings to stay on the lower side? Keep reading to learn a few tips and tricks from C.E.L. & Associates, Inc. on how to get divorced on a budget.

Prepare documents.
Make sure you prepare and send documents when requested. Delaying this will require you to spend more on additional mediation sessions. Before your first consult, ask about the requirements you’ll need to bring with you. Some of the documents you have to carry along include recent pay stubs, income tax returns, and copies of deeds.

Do your homework.
Do your homework between meetings, both individually and together. Here, you’ll need to create an inventory of your debt and assets, and determine your priorities and set realistic goals.

Be open-minded.
Keep an open mind and don’t draw your line in the sand before understanding things. Try to make the process fair and fruitful for yourself and your spouse.

Save stressful topics for the mediation sessions.
That way, you can limit tension between yourself and your partner, and also reduce your sessions with the mediator.

Be forward thinking.
Think about the future. Your relationship with your ex-spouse shouldn’t be strained and draining, especially if you have children together, or work together.

Trust your mediator.
They are professionals and know what they are doing. Moreover, they have your family’s best interests in mind all the time.

When getting a divorce, completing your homework in between sessions, bringing along both parenting documents, and financial ones, will be the cheapest part of the process. However, the costly part of getting divorced involves the items and decisions you are stuck on and those that may be “hot button” ones. For this reason, don’t do a disservice to yourselves by talking about issues between sessions you know will lead to problems. The closer you are to an agreement, the less it will cost you. Besides this, don’t get bogged down with hate, anger, and revenge. It will only drag the whole mediation or lead to an unnecessary court case.

If you need any help in addressing divorce or separation issues, email us at bjames@celandassociates.com or efeldman@celandassociates.com. As excellent parenting coordinator and divorce mediators in Chicago, IL, our mission is to facilitate conversations among family members during any conflict or transition. Our divorce mediators primarily help couples through separation, divorce, and post-decree issues and assist the break-up of their marriage and re-structuring of their family unit. Though we are neutral as divorce mediators, we promise our clients we will be honest, straightforward, and respectful regardless of the circumstances or facts they present to us in divorce mediation.

For more details about our divorce mediation and parenting coordinator services across Chicago and surrounding areas, reach out to C.E.L. & Associates, Inc., or get in touch with us by clicking here.