11 Jun Cheap Divorce? What is the Most Affordable Way to Petition for Divorce in Florida?
Cheap Divorce? Three Ways to Keep Divorce Costs Down to a Minimum
As the saying goes, there aren’t any “free lunches“, but there are ways in which to keep the divorce cost down to a minimum.
Method One: The Simplified Petition
The first way to do this is by making sure that you file the least expensive (and time consuming) divorce petition available under Florida law. There are basically three types of divorces that you can apply for in Florida (1) the Simplified Petition for Dissolution; (2) the Uncontested Divorce; (3) the Contested Divorce. The Simplified Petition (as you may have guessed) is the best way to do it in terms of cost. Additionally, there is an excellent chance that you can be done with the process in a matter of weeks (if you qualify). We discussed the qualifications for this procedure in the post that you can find at this link.
Method Two: The Uncontested Divorce
If you don’t qualify for the Simplified Dissolution, then your next best bet (again, in terms of up-front cost) is to go through with an Uncontested Divorce process. This is quite common in cases where the married couple has children, but there aren’t any property or custody issues being disputed.. (Under Florida law, if you have children then you do not qualify for the Simplified Petition.) What our firm does in matters like these is immediately draft a Marital Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan. Once we have these out of the way, the time that would have needed to be dedicated to your petition by the attorneys (on both sides) is greatly diminished. Accordingly, your cost would be greatly diminished.
Method Three: Narrow Down the Issues
If you and your former spouse simply cannot agree to the point where you could qualify for the Uncontested Petition, the next best thing to do is to simply narrow down the issues. Our firm will provide you with a checklist of issues that will be addressed in a Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan. Simply “check” the issues that you two cannot agree upon. We will craft the Agreements to address all issues but the contested matter. Those issues can then be submitted to mediation and/or set for trial.
If you have any questions about the different types of divorce petitions in Florida, or simply to talk about other ways to keep your divorce costs to a minimum, feel free to give us a call at +1.786.309.8588.