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762 - How Can I Save Time and Money?The first thing you need to know about saving time and money in divorce is that you can get divorced in Alabama without using a lawyer at all. You can check that out in program number 761, called "Do I Need a Lawyer?" Assuming that you're planning to use a lawyer to help you with your divorce, though, and that you're trying to keep the cost as low as possible, you should consider an uncontested divorce. That's the way most people in Alabama get divorced. They're able to keep the cost low and their affairs private. But let's assume that, for whatever reason, the uncontested divorce doesn't work for you. Maybe you and your spouse are stuck on an issue and unable to reach agreement. Even if you need some help to resolve the issues of your divorce, you and your spouse can still save a great deal of time and money, if you can mediate your divorce. If you're like most divorcing couples, one or both of you finds it difficult or impossible to trust the other, and you may conclude that mediation won't work. Not so. It can work. But it does take two to mediate. What do you do if your spouse or your spouse's lawyer doesn't understand how helpful mediation can be and just refuses to have anything to do with it? You may have to go through adversarial divorce, but even then, there are plenty of things you can do to save time and money. Most of them revolve around the organizing principle of Alabama Family Law Center, and that is the importance of your taking control of your divorce. For example, try to do as much of the work as you can for your lawyer, so your lawyer can minimize the time he or she spends on your case. Avoid calling your lawyer just to fill him or her in on the latest outrageous thing your spouse has done. Better to call a close friend and tell them all about it, and then send your lawyer a quick memo. But the most important thing to do to save time and money in adversarial divorce is to think strategically. There are three questions you should ask yourself constantly as you go through adversarial divorce: First, how much is this issue worth to me in today's dollars? Second, how likely is it that I'll win? And third, how much is it costing me to fight about it? If you don't know the answer to all three questions, or if you can't satisfy yourself from the answers that you need to keep fighting, it may be time to explore a graceful concession. Alabama Family Law Center serves clients who need to get through divorce and who are able to be reasonably cooperative. The goal is for both spouses to survive divorce and move on with their lives with some money in their pockets and their dignity intact. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. If you'd like to make an appointment with me, call 205-979-6960. Or you can click here to return to the Divorce Line. |
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