If your marriage is failing, you may be contemplating getting a divorce. If you do get a divorce in Florida, you need to keep in mind that the process can be very expensive. There are many costs and fees involved with separating from your partner, so here are a few different expenses to keep in mind when getting a divorce.
Lawyer fees
You will need to hire a lawyer to help negotiate your divorce settlement, and many of these professionals come with a high price tag. The average divorce lawyer may charge over $100 an hour, so if your divorce takes a long time to settle, you could end up paying thousands of dollars. Your attorney will also help you finalize your divorce paperwork, which also can potentially cost hundreds of dollars.
Equitable distribution
Another financial impact of getting a divorce is deciding how to divide the marital estate. It will be divided based on each party’s contribution to the estate as well as the future economic opportunities of both individuals. Issues that will be considered include financial stability, net worth, and the effect of putting off career and education to raise children and care for other family members.
Children
Having children involved in your divorce will almost always increase your expenses. If both parties do not agree on a custody arrangement or how visitation will work, this will prolong the divorce process and increase the lawyer and court fees. Once finalized, one party may have to pay child support, which could end up costing hundreds of dollars per month until the children become adults.
Divorce can be a long, tedious process for which you may end paying thousands of dollars to settle. When going through a divorce, you need to hire a lawyer who can potentially minimize the expenses and ensure that you don’t get taken advantage of.