divorced Archives - Freedom Channel

There is so much to consider when getting divorced, from dividing marital assets, to spousal support, to child custody and support.

Divorce can also be an incredibly expensive process.This is especially true when it comes to hiring legal representation. In fact, divorce lawyers can take up the majority of the budget that you have set aside for divorce proceedings.

It is therefore not only important to find an attorney that is suitable and experienced for your particular case, but also to find legal representation that fits within your budget. This is why we have created a list of helpful tips for finding a cheap divorce lawyer.

Shop Around

It is important not to be impulsive when choosing a divorce lawyer, so don’t just go for the first attorney that you meet. Remember that you are not obligated to retain an attorney when you meet with them, or do you have to pay them anything unless you have agreed to do so. When meeting with an attorney, be sure to ask them about their fees and billing structure. A reputable attorney will be able to provide you with their fee schedule or hourly rate before you hire them.

Some attorneys will offer flat-rate packages, particularly for “uncontested” divorces. With flat-rate packages, attorneys have an incentive to work more quickly and efficiently. However, this may not be the right move for everyone, particularly if your case could be dealt with at a lower cost on a per-hour basis.

With flat-rate packages, it is pretty straightforward to compare rates. Otherwise, it can be tricky to calculate the exact fee an attorney will charge (given that they are working on a per-hour basis).

Therefore, it is important to check online reviews and consider word-of-mouth to ascertain the general cost of a particular attorney. After doing so, you should arrange initial consultations with the attorney to determine both their suitability for your case, as well as their hour rate and retainer fee (this is an upfront sum).

Explore Legal Aid and Family Law Clinics

For matters such as divorce and child custody, some cities and states offer legal aid services for lower-income residents. Others work with non-profit programs to offer low-cost, or free, family law clinics.

If you do not qualify for these programs, city and state websites often offer lists of reputable and cheap divorce lawyers. Make sure to look at your city’s website, or the website of the court where you will file, to find resources like these.

Explore Law Schools and Paralegal Programs

If you are unable to find any public legal clinics, the next step is to contact a law school or paralegal program. Many of these will offer clinics to help students gain experience working on everyday legal issues.

These clinics are supervised by a licensed attorney who will review any legal documents that the students and paralegals prepare. Although these types of clinics will likely not be able to help you if your legal matters are highly complex, they can be a great alternative if you cannot find a divorce attorney that fits your budget.

Think About A DIY Divorce

Some people may be tempted to avoid looking for legal representation and handling the divorce themselves. However before thinking about this route, it’s worth considering the time that this will take, as well as how complicated your particular situation is.

If both parties agree on the most substantial issues involved in the case, then a DIY divorce from someone like 3Step, Divorce.com or Divorce Bob could be an affordable and relatively easy option. Some courts even offer simplified processes such as a “joint simplified” divorce. These can be quite quick and easy to accomplish, and will save both parties the cost of hiring an attorney.

If you are unable to use a simplified divorce process, then another option is using an online divorce service.

These services reduce the time spent figuring out which forms to file, how to file them, and in what order everything needs to be done. They guide you through the entire filing process and can save a lot of time. Many will also connect you with legal professionals who are able to answer your questions and review your forms for a reasonable per-hour or flat consultation fee.

It goes without saying that the dating world can be a little tricky to navigate at times.

With that thought in mind, how trusting are you of the person you are seeing now?

In the event you have your questions about them, it is best to put everything out there on the table. Doing so can make for less tension and let you know if you should stay or go.

So, how trusting should you be when dating someone?

Is the Individual in Fact Available?

One of the trickier pieces of the puzzle in dating someone is making sure they are totally available.

As an example, someone may say they were married for a period of time and are now officially divorced. There is also the chance they say they are in the middle of divorcing someone.

So, are you going to be satisfied with the answer they give you?

One thought is to get online and in fact see if you can find out some evidence one way or the other.

As you can go online if divorced to find out how do I get a copy of my decree absolute, use the web to see the one you are dating.

While you hope they are upfront about being divorced, they may be keeping something from you. That something could also be information outside their divorce status. For example, what if they have a criminal record and you stumble upon it while online? Would you still consider dating them moving ahead?

By doing some online research, you are one step closer to finding out if the person is on the up-and-up or hiding stuff.

Will Finances Come into Play?

Depending on how far along you are in dating someone, the talk of finances may or may not come up.

In the event it does come up, are you going to be in a good position to have the chat or chats?

If you’ve been dating this person for a while now, they may show some interest and you may too of combining resources. This more times than not would mean moving in together.

Now, you may not feel you are at that point where you want to do such a thing. In fact, it could take years for you to get there.

That said you want to be careful. This would be so that you do not end up in a financial bind do to another person’s not being totally honest with you.

Last, you also want to know what kind of character the person you are dating has.

Sure, while you may see some things early on, other actions may take a while to rear their heads. The last thing you want is to be caught off guard by one’s behavior so much so it leaves you questioning dating them.

Along with how they act around you, you can also see if they have any notable trail of social media activity. If so, the hope is they have not posted any questionable comments or images over time.

In trusting the person you are dating, what will make you think twice about moving on with them?

Tag: divorced

5 Tips For Finding an Affordable Divorce Lawyer