The Financial Cost of Divorce
Why you should mediate, not litigate!
While the best reason to use the services of a trained Divorce Mediator is to reach a marital settlement agreement with your spouse that works for both of you without becoming involved in a court battle, that is only part of the benefit. Another reason is that you will save literally thousands of dollars at a time when you need to keep as much of your money as possible so you can live separately on the same income that may have been hard to live on together.
Litigated Legal Separation or Divorce
Based in part on my experience as a Matrimonial Fee Arbitrator for the New York Court System, and in part on my years as a matrimonial attorney, the cost of a Legal Separation or Divorce using two attorneys is likely to be anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 per person in upstate New York.
In a number of New York cases that I have read recently, where the court required one spouse to pay the legal fees of the other, the fees awarded exceeded $45,000 in several instances, and even exceeded $100,000 in one case. (See The Cost of a Litigated Divorce)
What this means is that some couples are spending $90,000 to more than $200,000 of their family’s resources by choosing litigation as the means to get a divorce. And the cost could skyrocket even higher if you have a lot of issues or assets to divide.
Mediated Legal Separation or Divorce
In contrast, for couples using our services the total cost of a Legal Separation is often between $1800 and $2800 per couple if they do not have minor children and between $2800 and $3800 if there are minor children.
For those couples seeking an Uncontested Divorce, the additional cost is between $1200 and $1800 per couple, plus filing fees which are currently about $400.
If you are dividing a pension or retirement account, own a business or income property, or if you have a lot of assets or liabilities to address, there are likely to be additional costs depending on the extent of these assets and the complexity of your plan.
To learn more, schedule a 30-minute Consultation with one of our mediators, at no charge, and we will provide you with a fee estimate based on your situation.
