Affordable Divorce in Florida

Getting Divorced on a Budget in Tampa

The legal fees in divorce litigation can eat up tens of thousands of dollars. When the dust clears both parties are emotionally and financially drained. At the other end of the spectrum is the uncontested divorce kit purporting to untangle the knots of marriage for a couple hundred bucks. These do-it-yourself “solutions” can also be very costly in the long run if things run amuck and cookie cutter forms do not address the family’s specific needs.

Get a Low-Cost Divorce in Florida

If you are seeking a low-cost, affordable divorce, pre-suit mediation with a skilled attorney-mediator may be the wisest course of action. Rather than paying two lawyers to fight it out, you can hire one lawyer to help you work it out. Rather than burning through your savings and your children’s college money, you can preserve resources for the belt-tightening times ahead.

Reasons to Consider Mediation Instead of Litigation

There are a few reasons to heavily consider mediation rather than litigation as you get a divorce in Florida. Here are a few pros for mediation:

1. Low Cost Divorce – It’s certainly cheaper than hiring two separate attorneys to prepare for a trial. Mediation helps both parties save their money and come to an agreeable resolution
2. Timing – The mediation route for divorce is much quicker. There aren’t added complications such as waiting for a trial, an appeal and other possible disputes. Mediation can help both parties find a solution without extending the process.
3. Increased Control – The mediation route grants both parties more flexibility and control. In a litigation setting, you’ll have less control with regard to court dates and such.

Riverview · Brandon · Wesley Chapel
Mediation, The Affordable Divorce In Tampa Bay

After spending $20,000 or $50,000 or even $100,000 on a divorce, a court might split the marital estate more or less down the middle. After squandering thousands of dollars on a bitter custody battle, the judge may arrive at a predictable custody and visitation order. The outcome is largely determined by Florida’s statutes governing equitable distribution, alimony, child support and shared parental responsibility, no matter how much one’s attorney charges per hour.

Attorney Mediator Beth Reineke firmly believes that pre-suit mediation is superior to traditional divorce and custody litigation. For starters, mediation is typically less expensive and much quicker. In a contested divorce, lawyers bill hours and hours for their services drafting pleadings, conducting discovery, taking depositions, drafting motions and attending hearings; and eventually there will be a full-fledged trial. It quickly adds up to a substantial amount of money that you will never see again even if you “win” your divorce.

Mediation sessions are conducted on your timetable rather than one dictated by the court’s calendar. The time in mediation, and thereby the actual cost of mediation, depends on the complexity of your marital estate, whether or not you have children, and how long it takes to find middle ground. The only additional expense after you have worked out the terms of divorce is to have the papers drawn up in the appropriate “legalese” for presentation to the court.

• See our Divorce Mediation FAQ