When studying the search terms that bring people to this website, I frequently see the term “affordable divorce in Jacksonville, Florida” being searched. In an earlier post, I recently focused on the lawyer side of “cheap divorce” discussing lawyers who focus on keeping their fees reasonable. The right lawyer can be an integral part of keeping divorce fees relatively reasonable, but the largest component in keeping divorce costs affordable is the client.
It is not surprising that some clients may find it difficult to be reasonable in the divorce process. Divorce is much more than the business side of process, i.e., who gets the house and how do we divide our debts, many times clients are dealing with a deep hurt or anger that may have been festering for years. In some cases, the hurt and anger may be justified, but utilizing divorce litigation to seek revenge is an expensive proposition.
It is the lawyer’s job to explain likely outcomes in the divorce process and assist the client to weigh the pro and cons of various positions, but it is ultimately up to the client to decide whether to take their divorce to trial or reach an agreement after the initial pleadings and discovery has been exchanged. Sometimes a trial is necessary when large issues, such as permanent alimony payments are at stake, but other times taking a case to trial over smaller issues does not make sense. For example, does make it sense to spend $10,000 in attorney’s fees fighting over who keeps a $1,500 big screen TV?
One of the biggest thrills of being a lawyer is appearing in court, and after over a decade of practice, it something I still enjoy doing. To be effective in court, a lawyer must be prepared. Preparation takes time, and in all businesses, time is money. Drafting an agreed upon martial settlement agreement can take hours, whereas a full blown trial can take days of preparation. When deciding to contest an issue, ask yourself, do you want to measure your attorney’s bill in hours or days?
One of the reasons I offer flat fee uncontested divorces is to encourage people to come to an agreement before they ever file a divorce. A flat rate allows clients to know the cost of a divorce before they get started and not worry about what the lawyer bill will be every month. While uncontested divorces are less complex, they can still be time consuming. I almost always make less per hour working on uncontested divorces, but it is worth it helping people get affordably divorced and move on with their lives.
If you have questions about affordable divorce in the First Coast region of Florida, please contact The Taylor Law Office at 904.339.LAW8 (5298), via e-mail at [email protected] or through our website.
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