Tips To Keep Your Family Law Costs Down

The process of divorce can come at a significant financial cost, which often amplifies the stress and emotional toll for all parties involved. The good news is there are easy strategies to help you reduce family law costs.

1. Look into alternative dispute resolution options

To reduce the cost of divorce you should be open into all the different pathways available to you to reach an agreement other than going straight to court.

At Resolve Conflict we empower your decision making by assisting you in the first instance to make an informed choice between the different pathways available to you to reach an agreement.

These may include:

Family Mediation – known as Family Dispute Resolution: This is a great place to start. You will save time and money and develop a working relationship with your co-parent. It can also help you achieve good outcomes quickly and cost-effectively in simple financial matters.

Collaborative Practice – This is a non-adversarial team approach to problem-solving where the parties sign a contract not to go to Court and to put their children first. A team of professionals including financial and child experts assist the whole family to develop parenting arrangements and an asset distribution that meets the needs of the family.

Lawyer Negotiation – When you are time poor or simply do not want to deal directly with the other party, this is a good option. The lawyers conduct the negotiation on your behalf based on your instructions to them. A full day mediation is often scheduled to assist matters to resolve.

Mediation with Lawyers – Sometimes mediation with Lawyers cannot be avoided. When this occurs, you need an experienced team to guide you through the myriad of Court systems and processes. Our years of Court experience ensure you are in good hands and positioned to get the best result.

Kitchen Table – Clients negotiate between themselves to reach agreement and can have us as advisers in the background. Once an agreement is reached we then prepare the necessary documents to put the Agreement into effect and make it legally binding.

Related Article: What Not To Do In Mediation Proceedings

 

2. Hire the right representation

It’s important to seek out a family lawyer that suits you and is able to guide you through the process. Your family lawyer should be able to advise you on all thing you need to organise prior to each consultation the reduce the amount of time consulting and corresponding in order to lower your legal bills.

 

3. Be prepared

Throughout the whole family law process being prepared and organised will help ensure your legal costs are kept under control.

Before all your meetings with your family lawyer make sure you have spent time organising exactly what you wish to discuss and have your questions written down. Similarly, having all your documentation requested on hand and organised.

 

4. Get organised

Following from the above point ensure that you have taken the time to retrieve and organise all your personal and financial information. By providing this to your family lawyer in one go rather than in multiple occasion will help save you money and speed up the process.

The types of documents required included but are not limited to:

• Pay slip/income statements
• Bank account statements
• Taxation returns
• Superannuation statements
• Valuations and appraisals of assets; business holdings, investment holdings, real property, vehicles and watercrafts
• Details of any financial resources including child support, trusts or other payments
• Winnings, inheritances, compensation, payouts or claims
• Details or interests in any company and/or trust and supporting documentation;
• Details of assets disposed of leading up to separation and since separation
• Other assets in your control or possession
• Debts and liabilities.

 

5. Be open and honest with your lawyer

To receive the best and most effective plan for your family law matter it is crucial that you are open and honest with your family lawyer.

Remember, it is a must that your family lawyer is fully aware of your financial matters, or you may find yourself being penalised by the courts or worse your spouse delving into your affairs that could draw out the legal proceedings, making the process lengthy and costly to both parties.

 

Note: This is general information advice only and does not constitute specific legal advice. If you would like further information in relation to this matter or other legal matters, please contact us on 03 9620 0088 or email info@resolveconflict.com.au