The Average Cost for Divorce

In divorce, as in anything else, you get what you pay for. According to Bankrate, the average cost of a divorce is $20,000. Various factors can nudge that upward or cut it down to size.

Retainer Fees

You're probably going to have to put money down for an attorney up front. This is called a retainer fee. It's a down payment against which the lawyer will bill his time. It can be as low as $500 for an inexperienced attorney to handle a case with minimal assets, or up to $10,000 for an experienced attorney charged with dividing up a marital business.

Hourly Fees

According to Jan Warner, a divorce attorney in South Carolina, you can expect the range of hourly fees to run anywhere from $100 to $450.

Expert Fees

Expert fees--the money you pay a real estate appraiser to set the value of your home or a forensic accountant to determine the value of your spouse's business--can run you another $400 to $6,000.

The Cost of Revenge

Vinegar will cost you far more than honey. If you stonewall a settlement because you want your spouse to pay, you'll drag things out and run your legal bill up.

Saving Money

Almost all lawyers bill their time in 6-minute increments, so think twice before you make a 1-minute phone call; it will cost you six times that. Save your questions until you are ready to ask multiple at once. When you do call, ask for his paralegal rather than the attorney himself. Your question will be answered at a fraction of the attorney's hourly rate.

References

• The Cost of A Divorce
• Mona R. Raskin, Esquire; Family Law; Linwood, New Jersey
• Divorce Lawyer Cost

Resources

• Ten Ways to Save on Legal Divorce