Guide to Reducing The Cost of Divorce in North Carolina
$150 Legal Fee + Court Costs for a Simple No Contest NC Divorce • NO COURT APPEARANCE & NO OFFICE VISIT • $400 Separation Agreement
In addition to using John Walker Attorney to file your no contest divorce
in North Carolina, here are some additional suggestions from our legal staff.
1. Educate yourself - Learn as much as you can about divorce and all
related issues in North Carolina. In addition to our answering your questions,
you can also research the NC divorce laws on the Internet or visit a local law library in North Carolina
for answers about simple no contest divorce and contested divorce.
2. Do not litigate - You will keep more of your money by filing a no
contest divorce in North Carolina instead of giving it to a lawyer to go to court
to argue a divorce. Only as a last resort if all else fails do you hire an attorney
to fight your divorce. Try negotiation, try collaborative, try settlement conferences
or mediation, but do not litigate. You might win at the trial but the cost will
be expensive. Most divorce attorneys charge by the hour and It doesn't make sense
to give a divorce attorney the economic incentive to make your life miserable
by dragging things out. By avoiding long-winded telephone conversations and unnecessarily
long meetings with a trial attorney, you will save an enormous amount of money.
Physicians don't bill hourly - they charge a fixed fee for an office visit or
your surgery. In addition, litigation is destructive. Unfortunately, litigation
is necessary in some cases and there will always be people that just can not agree
no matter how hard you try and is only for the most desperate situations. That's
why The Divorce Clinic has successfully filed over 26,000 divorce judgment's because
we swiftly file your paperwork and our fee of $150.00 is very affordable.
3. Analyze the cost-benefits of a no contest divorce - Don't get caught
up in the emotion and make all of your decisions from that vantage point for your
divorce. Spending time analyzing your case from a logical, cost-benefit perspective
can bring rewards. Stay focused on getting the divorce finished so you can move
on with your life. Some divorcing people make bad financial decisions like spending
$5,000 to get a $150 divorce. If you can't see a clear connection between your
actions and achieving a final resolution of your case, then don't take that action.
North Carolina is unique in that not like most states, married couples can
obtain a divorce without discussing finances, property or child custody. If
you do want to discuss finances, property and child custody, John Walker and the
Divorce Clinic provides a basic Separation Agreement for $400.00. We suggest that
you make a small list of the things you and your spouse agree on first. By getting
these things covered you may be able to save money by resolving the areas of disagreement.
Specifically, what you really want and need and what your spouse really wants,
what your financial situation is, and is likely to be. Plus, maybe you'll realize
that you agree on all the major issues and the others aren't worth fighting over.
If you do decide to try one-on-one negotiations with your spouse, use these guidelines:
A. Negotiate in a neutral place where you feel safe and
designate a predetermined time. If things get hot, break off negotiations immediately.
Another fight isn't worth it and will make the next meeting that more difficult.
B. When discussing settlement between you and your spouse, list all the
areas that you agree on. There may be more than you think.
C. The harder discussions - what you can't agree on. Try to hear what your
spouse has to say, without arguing the points. Then try to get your spouse to
hear what you have to say, without raising your voice.
D. Think about the items of property you'll be getting when you and your
spouse make guesses about their value the lower the values on your items, the
more items you'll get in a 50% division." Don't prematurely offer some dollar
amount that you'll offer, or that you're willing to accept - this can either set
expectations too high, or cheat you out of what you'll need to live on."
E. Address all the issues at once, even though you have the option to deal
with key areas - child custody, property at different times, it generally makes
more sense to try and do it all at once. In addition to speeding up the process
and prompting closure this can also reduce expenses.
Using John Walker Attorney can help you avoid expensive miscalculations and
devastating mistakes. In the end a large number of couples in North Carolina opt
for private settlement. It's a less difficult and less unpredictable outcome than
letting things deteriorate to the point that can only be left to the whim of a
judge. A no contest divorce also keeps financial and personal secrets that you
and your spouse don't want to make public.
