The cost of a Virginia divorce can vary greatly depending on the circumstances.
Virginia ranked eighth in the nation in average cost, with the average divorce costing about $14,500 and the average divorce with children costing about $21,800.
That may sound like staggering sums of money to dissolve a marriage, but it takes time and money to untangle your life from another’s.
But there are a few ways to lower these costs – including proceeding with an uncontested divorce or hiring a divorce attorney with experience avoiding common legal pitfalls, like the attorneys on our team at Slovensky Law.
What Factors Make a Divorce More Expensive in Virginia?
There are many reasons why the cost of a divorce can become more inflated, including
- Inability to reach an agreement—If you and your spouse can’t agree on spousal support, property division or child custody, then your attorneys will have to negotiate some kind of compromise or convince the judge to support their position. Much of the cost of a divorce is related to this back and forth legal sparring, which can be quite time consuming. On the other hand, if you and your spouse can hammer out a mutually satisfying agreement, then you may be able to file for an uncontested divorce and save thousands of dollars.
- Attorney fees—Although the greatest expense in most divorces is the fees that the lawyers charge, you should be careful about choosing the “cheapest” attorney you find online. You want to be sure the lawyer has your best interest at heart, as well as years of experience helping other Virginians through divorce and a vast understanding of Virginia law.
- Large, complicated estate—If you have a large number of assets or the assets you have are in complicated financial situations, your divorce may take longer than it otherwise would. You may also need a tax expert to unwind and resolve the surrounding issues, which could lead to serious additional costs.
How to Save Money on Your Divorce
The most important way to keep the cost of your divorce down is to try to resolve all of your differences before you actually file your divorce papers.
If you have a settlement agreement and have been legally separated for the required amount of time, you may qualify for an uncontested divorce, which is much less contentious than a traditional divorce.
At Slovensky Law, our digital uncontested divorce process has been refined through the experience of helping hundreds of clients through a divorce. We have learned the ins and outs of many different courts and can use this information to assist you.
Even if an uncontested divorce is impossible or you can’t reach an agreement on every issue, try to find some consensus on as many issues as possible. This should shorten the negotiations and the number of decisions that the judge must make which should help keep expenses down.
Most importantly, hire the right attorney for your divorce. You should be able to trust your lawyer not only with this vital and difficult time in your life, but also with your time and money. A lawyer who seems disinterested in your case, confuses the details of your case with another client, or is unclear about attorney fees once you hire them may not be working in your best interest.
Hiring a Virginia Divorce Attorney Saves You Money in the Long Run
The value that an experienced divorce attorney brings to the table is one of the most important parts of making sure your divorce goes smoothly.
Your attorney can help keep your divorce process organized, ensure your paperwork is correct and turned in on time, and keep you from making any mistakes in the divorce process. Some common issues your attorney can help with may include:
- Making sure your assets are probably understood and valued;
- Determining what division of assets is fair;
- Getting your retirement divided;
- Keeping you from trading a non-modifiable concession for a modifiable one; and
- Avoiding surprises down the road
As a small firm, our team of dedicated divorce attorneys at Slovensky Law is deeply familiar with each and every case that we work on. We take pride in staying on top of current news and legal issues so that we can help our clients resolve issues as quickly as possible, with the best possible outcome.
Contact Slovensky Law Today
At Slovensky Law, we truly care about getting the best possible outcome for our clients. If you want a divorce lawyer dedicated to protecting your rights, contact our Roanoke, Virginia office to schedule a consultation today.
