Why a cheap divorce could cost you more in the long run

When you and your spouse are dissolving your marriage, it can be tempting to opt for a cheap divorce in an effort to save money.

This approach may seem like a smart decision at the time, as you can save a lot of money on legal fees. However, it could end up costing you significantly more in the long run.

Here’s how a cheap divorce can set you up for financial issues in the future.

Overlooking Key Details

In many cases, a cheap divorce doesn’t involve attorneys, instead using a mediator or online forms. While this reduces your legal expenses, it could create entirely new expenses for you in the future.

Professional divorce attorneys know the specific laws in your jurisdiction. This makes it easier for them to help you work through the details, like child support, custody, splitting assets. An attorney can make sure that things are split correctly and fully documented in case there are any concerns in the future.

With a cheap divorce, on the other hand, you’ll be forced to work through all of the details of your divorce on your own. If you don’t fully understand the ins and outs of the laws in your area, you could miss out the protection that comes from a properly structured divorce.

Costing You More Time

In addition to potentially costing you more in the long run, a cheap divorce can also cost you more time and stress. Because you won’t have attorneys working on your behalf to iron out the details, you’ll have to handle all of the negotiations on your own. This can take up a lot of your valuable time and cause additional fighting.

In some cases, your cheap divorce proceedings could even require you to take time away from work so that you can finalize your divorce. Depending on the terms you have worked out with your employer, this could eat into your take-home pay as well. Think about the number of hours you’ll have to spend on your divorce, and multiply that amount by your approximate hourly wage. This is how much more a cheap divorce will cost you in terms of the value of your time.

Failing to Plan for the Future

One of the biggest issues with a cheap divorce is that you likely don’t have the experience to adequately plan for future complications. This is often the case if you and your spouse had children. For example, if your former spouse takes a job in another state, you could be in for a legal battle over custody of your kids.

Of course, this will end up costing you even more money in legal fees. If your divorce settlement had included a provision for this eventuality, you could have saved yourself a lot of money and headaches.

In a cheap divorce, you’ll likely only get the basics covered in your settlement. It is tricky to predict what the future might hold for you. You need an experienced attorney at your back to ensure you don’t set yourself up for financial disaster in the future. This way, your settlement will include guidelines for how to proceed in a variety of scenarios.

Avoid the Perils of a Cheap Divorce

Don’t fall into the trap of a cheap divorce. Let Ogborne Law introduce you to the collaborative process and assist you with your divorce proceedings. Our attorney will work closely with you to identify the issues that you find most important. This way, you’ll have the best chance of getting what you want in the aftermath of your divorce. Get in touch today for a free consultation.