Estimating the cost and length of a divorce

Your situation

What the calculation shows

Move from the first level of agreement to the third without changing anything else: the total triples. That is the most useful output of this tool. Every point settled amicably — where the children live, what happens to the home, maintenance — removes hours of legal work and months of procedure. Family mediation costs a few hundred and often moves a case from the third level to the first. Finally, dividing property is a cost separate from legal fees: it is a percentage of the value and it is payable even when everyone agrees.

Bringing the bill down, concretely

• Separate the issues. A disagreement about the house need not block the agreement about the children. Every point settled separately leaves the contested field and stops costing.
• Gather the documents before the first meeting. Statements, deeds, the marriage contract, title documents: an hour of a lawyer's time spent chasing paperwork is an hour billed.
• Ask for a written fee agreement. Hourly, fixed fee, or partly outcome-based — all three exist, and the final difference between two firms on the same case is considerable.
• Check legal aid and legal expenses insurance. Many household policies include cover that the policyholder does not know about.
• Do not confuse speed with economy. An agreement signed too quickly, without costing maintenance or valuing the property, is paid for over years.

The item nobody plans for is double housing: paying two rents, or a rent and a mortgage, for the months the process lasts. It frequently exceeds the legal fees.

Frequent questions