How Much Does A Divorce Cost?
The cost of divorce may vary greatly depending on which approach you take. Of course, just because an approach is less expensive now does not mean it is the right thing to do. It is best to contact a professional to help you sort out your specific issues so you can make an informed decision about the risks and rewards of each approach.
$ DIY Divorce
This option is the cheapest way to divorce. If you have been married for a very short time, perhaps fewer than four years, have no children, do not own any real property, have very few marital assets and agree with your spouse on pretty much every aspect of your divorce, you can probably get away with a do-it-yourself divorce and pay only the filing fees. Typical costs are less than $500 per couple. Some courts have inexpensive DIY packets you can purchase that include detailed “how to” instructions from how to fill out the paperwork with your agreements to waiting periods to the process necessary to finalize the divorce, though many people find the number and scope of forms dizzying.
$$ Mediated Divorce
Professional mediators charge an average of $300 per hour, per couple. If you and your spouse have only a few issues to hammer out, you may need only one or two mediation sessions. Couples with more complicated estates or child residential schedule issues will need more time with their mediator and will pay more. Typical costs are $2,500 to $5,000 per couple.
$$ Wevorce Divorce
Wevorce couples pay an upfront fee and receive a shared attorney-mediator and access to a team of professionals, including financial and parenting experts. Depending on your situation — the length of your marriage, your parenting situation, the size of your marital estate, the number of sticking points between you and your spouse — you will pay between $3,000 and $15,000 per couple, for a Wevorce divorce. The typical cost is $4,500 per couple.
$$$ Collaborative Divorce
Cheaper than a traditional litigated divorce, the collaborative divorce still includes two attorneys and allied team professionals, so it is a more expensive option than a mediated or Wevorce divorce. Typical costs are $15,000 to $25,000 per couple.
$$$$ Adversarial (Litigated) Divorce
Typically, this divorce is the most expensive. The average adversarial divorce in the U.S. costs between $20,000 and $40,000 per couple. However, these costs can rise dramatically for couples with high levels of conflict. Consider that each attorney will charge an average of $350 per hour and then factor in the time it takes each attorney to prepare for the initial hearings, conduct a formal discovery process, attend meetings with the other lawyers, gather expert opinions, draw up a settlement and come to a formal agreement.
