For any loving wife, there comes a time when you simply feel like enough is enough. If you have committed enough time to your marriage without getting enough back in return, and you’ve exhausted all options of outside help including marriage counseling, you might end up thinking about the emotionally draining process of divorce. And while it might not sound like something anyone wants to go through, divorce is, sadly, part of marriage for many Californians. One question you might have on your mind comes down to cost.
Marriage might save you from stress and headaches in your personal life. But it might cost you a lot of money, too. So, with that in mind, how much does a divorce cost in California? There is no cut-and-dry answer. Most of the time, it will depend on who you hire. However, the cost of trying to save your marriage can be worth any financial saving.
You should do everything that you can to try and overcome the challenges that exist for your marriage. Given the cost of separation can reach into the five-figure range, it should only be a last resort. Doing everything you can to preserve and save your marriage should always be the priority.
However, we all know that sometimes this is simply not going to be possible. The cost of a divorce will come down to several deciding factors. For the most part, the cost of your separation will be determined by the following:
The time involved to find an agreement
Sometimes, if you are both happy to divorce, you can split amicably and quickly. This means only a few meetings with lawyers and the like. However, the flip side is that most divorces are emotionally raw and hurtful. They can become prolonged as both sides fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs. Naturally, as time goes on, this can become immensely draining to the mindset of all involved.
The length of your divorce, then, will play a role in determining the cost of your divorce. The quicker, the better.
The state of your relationship
If your relationship is relatively straightforward, costs can be reduced. If you both own partial amounts of assets and businesses together, things can become messy as you try to split up the costs and the assets.
The state of your relationship can lead to a longer, drawn-out, more legally divisive divorce. If you can find any way to come to out-of-court settlements on things like assets, you should. It will help to keep your divorce costs down significantly.
The experience of your attorney
Another factor that comes into play is how experienced your attorney is. If you hire someone who has never handled a California divorce case, you will save money on their hiring. You will lose money, though, on their inexperience. As they make mistakes and make concessions you cannot afford, you can find that hiring the โcheapโ lawyer costs you more down the line.
As such, make sure you put hiring an experienced attorney on your list. It is highly recommended that you get someone with suitable experience levels. Expertise costs can also save you money with a more favorable end result.
Getting a divorce is never easy to go through โ the emotional and financial costs are never easy to handle. However, by focusing on the above factors, you can get a better idea of the rough cost of your divorce. The average divorce in California can cost as much as $17,500. To avoid paying quite as much as that, you need to find the right help.