PART 5: Empower yourself with legal information and individualized case advice to save money during the challenging Arizona divorce process.
Yes! We’ve made it to the final segment of this exclusive 5 part series on ways to save money when going through the divorce process.
Let’s recap what we’ve learned so far:
Divorcing spouses can spend less on a divorce by:
Part 1: Hiring a limited scope attorney or representing themselves.
Although representing yourself may be the cheapest option, I frequently handle post-divorce cases wherein I seek to fix problems with a poorly drafted divorce decree one of the spouses drafted using the court’s fill-in-the-blank form.
Instead of trying to figure all of the complicated divorce stuff on your own and likely making a mistake that will be expensive to later fix, consider hiring a lawyer to only handle certain aspects of your case.
Certainly full representation is best, but if it’s just too expensive, then hiring a lawyer on a limited basis is an excellent, money-saving alternative.
Part 2: Asking your spouse to accept service of process of the Divorce Petition.
Once a spouse files for divorce, he or she must serve their spouse with the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage and associated documents. One service option, hiring a process server, can cost $40 to $100 or more.
Avoid this cost by asking your spouse to accept service. If he or she agrees, just provide them with a copy of the divorce papers, have them sign an “Affidavit of Acceptance of Service” before a notary (this form must contain certain language) and then file the affidavit with the court.
BAM! Instant cost savings + a way to work together from the start of a divorce.
Part 3: Opening a constructive settlement dialogue at the outset of the divorce.
Because divorce is such an emotional process, spouses often stop talking to each other altogether. Others still talk, but don’t make much progress as they resort to yelling at each other.
Despite the emotional challenges of divorce, identifying a fair settlement and talking about it with your spouse can lead to an efficient outcome and help each spouse to start to move on with their lives. Without a constructive settlement dialogue, divorce cases can drag on for months, often making the painful situation worse.
Part 4: Finding a way to think and act rationally instead of emotionally.
Despite how upsetting one’s divorce is, at the most basic level, every divorcing spouse has a problem to solve. They can address that problem with the full force of their emotions, or, find ways to infuse reason into the decision-making process.
I consistently find spouses make bad divorce case decisions they later regret and spend a lot of money trying to fix when they are so overwhelmed by their emotions that they don’t think through what their agreeing to or get the professional help they need to make better decisions. In my experience, letting your emotions rule is a very costly mistake. (This applies to women and men).
Alright, we’re now at the final segment of the 5 part series!
Let’s talk about how learning about divorce law and procedure plus getting individualized case advice can help you save your hard earned cash.
Look, time is money. The longer a divorce case meanders through the court system, the longer the divorcing spouses experience the stress and anxiety of the situation.
Often, the spouses’ lack of understanding of how things work under Arizona’s divorce laws plus not knowing anything about the steps to take to get a case through court, result in the spouses fighting over irrelevant things and the case languishing in the system.
But how do you get educated about divorce law and procedure if you aren’t a lawyer and didn’t go to law school?
Well, why not learn from a divorce lawyer about the divorce process using a digital format? Click here to learn more. I’ve broken the divorce process down into 6 steps and put all of the information and court forms into a virtual members’ area that really focuses on ways to simplify everything about the divorce process. I’m repeatedly told I have a way of explaining the law that makes it understandable. I deliver huge value in the members’ area.
Although learning about Arizona divorce law and procedure is a key element to saving money during divorce, getting legal advice about your specific case from an attorney is another vital step.
In other words, gaining a basic understanding of how divorce works is the beginning — getting an analysis from an experienced lawyer of how to apply the law to your individual case, and, how to effectively get your case through the court from start to finish — that’s where big cost savings can come into play.
There’s just too much to learn plus there’s the experience factor — a good lawyer knows how things really work and how to get results.
Yes, it will cost money to work with a lawyer, but utilizing consultations and limited scope representation are ways to reduce lawyer fees. Plus, the money saved in the long run by doing things right from the start can be enormous.
Thank you for being a part of this 5 part series!
Thinking about handling your divorce without a lawyer using the court’s fill in the blank forms? Or have you already started using the court’s divorce forms, are finding them difficult to use and are running into problems? Need help with your divorce papers? If so, consider joining Julie’s HELP WITH DIVORCE PAPERS members’ area to gain instant access to written and video explanations of the entire divorce process along with easy-to-use, fill-in-the-blank court forms created to empower you with legal information to help you achieve a fair and efficient divorce case outcome without breaking the bank. To learn more and to sign up, click here.
About
Julie A. LaBenz has been licensed to practice law in Arizona since 2006. She is currently located in majestic Sedona, Arizona and focuses her law practice on divorce, estate planning and probate. To discuss your case with Julie, call 928-284-0909.
Disclaimers: 1) This article contains legal information and is not legal advice; 2) By reading this article, Julie LaBenz does not become your lawyer; 3) Julie LaBenz is licensed to practice law in Arizona in the jurisdictions in which she’s admitted to practice.