Are You Worried About the Cost of Divorce?

How Much Does Divorce Cost?
By Jacob Malewitz

Legal matters have varying fees especially when it comes lawyers with different levels of experience and different hourly costs. This begs a slew of questions. How should you hire a lawyer? How do you know if a lawyer is worth his or her price? When are you being overcharged for legal fees? This guide goes over these questions and gives key tips.

Do You Need a Divorce Lawyer?

In divorce, you don't always need a lawyer. You may be able to work things out with your spouse, save money, and go with mediation. Mediation is very cost effective, but not always possible. Foremost is that many marriages end with a lot of anger and resentment, and the more money that is on the table the more reason for argument. If your spouse is unwilling to negotiate and has hired a lawyer, you need to do so as well. A lawyer is invaluable in defending your rights in divorce. If children, your home, and your money are on the line, an experienced lawyer is essential.

How To Hire a Lawyer

You can find many law firms online, but be sure to search locally. This allows you to meet with your divorce lawyer when needed. It also ensures the lawyer has experience in local courts.

Most lawyers offer free consultations to clients, some even divorce case reviews, so you can contact 5-10 lawyers, look over experience, and make a decision.

How much is a lawyer worth?

An experienced divorce lawyer is invaluable, but some rates you may not be able to afford, especially if the fight is going to be long and hard. Charging $300 to $500 an hour may be out of your price range. You can cut costs, but sometimes at the risk of going for a lesser lawyer. Consult with your top choices, ask if they can work with you on rates, and then make a decision. A divorce lawyer is invaluable when he or she can ensure you keep custody of children, that your wages and money are protected, and that your home and other assets are protected.

When are you overcharged?

Unfortunately, some divorce lawyers do overcharge. On the other hand, some charge high rates and are more than worth it. Some charge low and spend little if any time actually advising and helping you. You want experience coupled with a fair price. You should be able to find a good lawyer willing to work for $200 to $250 per hour. Sometimes paying more, if you can afford it, allows the lawyer to best serve you.

A good divorce lawyers saves you time and money, he or she does not take it. So remember how much you might gain and save by paying for a professional.

Jacob Malewitz recommends http://www.DivorceAttorneyHome.com for divorce and child support help.

Article Source: How Much Does Divorce Cost?
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Reduce Divorce Cost

Do YOU Know What You Should Ask a Divorce Lawyer?

5 Questions to Ask a Divorce Lawyer
By Jacob Malewitz

The phrase, "there is no such thing as a bad question," applies well to legal questions. Ask all the questions you can, but there are some certain ones to benefit from.

Questions About Experience

You ask some simple questions. How many divorce cases have you handled? Were any of these settled out of court? Do you have experience with difficult divorces? You can also ask more to the point. How can you help me win? How have you helped others win? Do you have any referrals?

While some of these may seem obvious, most going through a divorce rush the issue, hoping to get the case closed and move on. This is why mistakes occur. Without an experienced divorce lawyer, you may potentially lose child custody rights, lose the right to live in your home, and lose money because of paying alimony. Therefore, experience is crucial.

Questions About Availability

How heavy is your workload? In other words, you ask how many cases they are currently handling; if they have no legal aids and a lot of cases, it may speak to their availability. Will you or a different lawyer handle my case? In some divorces, you hire a firm, not a single man or woman, and your case can be passed down to someone with less experience. Also ask how soon your lawyer can begin.

Questions About Fees

Did you skip ahead to the questions about price? Fees are something we all worry about. Settle on fees from the very beginning. If you can't agree on fees, it's pointless to ask further questions. How much do you charge? Do you have a retainer? Do you charge hourly? Will I pay for added expenses? Will this divorce cost more if it goes to court? If we settle out of court, will that be better priced?

You are not being charged with a criminal offense, but almost always some big things are on the line, such as custody of children, rights to homes and cars, and how money will be managed in the future. It's important to pay the correct fee in order to avoid losing it all, but you should not spend tens of thousands of dollars. Be upfront on what you can afford. Pay nothing until you agree on final rates.

Basic Questions on Divorce

You likely have some questions for your divorce lawyer too. How can you win? Do you have a chance of retaining custody of your children? What if you were the one working, while the spouse was managing the home? What if there are issues of infidelity? What if your spouse lies about certain issues? All of these are important questions to ask.

Choosing a Lawyer

How can you decide on a lawyer? One resource is your local state bar. If you are in Georgia, for example, you can find information on lawyers at the Georgia State Bar website, Gabar.org. Looking online has advantages too: you can study a lawyer's experience and ask for a quick quote. Instead of focusing entirely on costs, take into consideration experience.

Jacob Malewitz recommends http://www.DivorceAttorneyHome.com/ for divorce and child support help. They offer a free online case review to get started.

Article Source: 5 Questions to Ask a Divorce Lawyer

There are Steps to Stop Divorce

The "Stop-Divorce" Process for Different Types of Divorce
By Mary R. Jones

Trying to stop a divorce process can be tricky, but it will be exponentially easier if you are the person who filed the petition to end the marriage in the first place. But even so, the process to stop the divorce may change due to the kind of paperwork that was filed.

The easiest kind of "stop-divorce" process will be if the divorce that was filed was a no-fault kind of divorce. A no-fault divorce means that the one that was served the petition has no legal right to stop the divorce, only the party that filed the petition. If this is the kind of divorce that you filed, then all you have to do is to write a letter stating your wishes to stop the divorce, have it signed by your attorney and your spouse as witnesses, and have it notarized. Present this to the judge presiding over your case immediately, in order for the divorce process to stop.

An at-fault divorce is only really being recognized in the state of New York today, and is by far the hardest "stop-divorce" process there is. This is because there has to be proof between the two parties in the marriage as to who was at fault in relation to the ending of a marriage. These kinds of divorces are those that end rather badly, except if one party admit to being the one at fault. If this is the kind of divorce case that you are going through, then you need to withdraw all statements that have been made, and send the letter to the judge as soon as possible. You will have to provide proof that you and your spouse both agree to stop the divorce proceedings right away. You can do this through a notarized letter, a video or voice recording of you and your spouse stating that you wish to stop all processes, as well as your attorneys signing the letter as witnesses.

Other than the at-fault divorce, the other kinds of divorce are pretty much the same as that of the no-fault divorce in terms of the cancellation process. Other forms of divorce include the summary divorce, the uncontested divorce, mediated divorce, collaborative divorce, arbitrated divorce, and the contested divorce.

Stopping a divorce may just be the best thing that you can do for your marriage. If you believe that there is still something left there, then the marriage is worth saving. It won't be easy, and it won't be quick, but if you and your partner work hard, you will be able to rediscover all the reasons that you were in love, and all the reasons that you have to try and make your marriage work.

Click here to learn how to stop divorce and save your marriage. It's not too late.

Mary R. Jones

Visit my blog at http://howtosavemarriage.org
Article Source: The "Stop-Divorce" Process for Different Types of Divorce