How I Got Divorced For Less Than $1,500 In Legal Fees

As part of marketing our practices, most Divorce and Family Mediators point out the substantial cost savings that couples realize by choosing to mediate, rather than litigate, their divorce.  And, all of us can cite any number of examples as an illustration of this fact.

Still, it is nice to see an unsolicited example.  This article in Reuters describes how Tim McLaughlin got divorced in Massachusetts for less than $1,500 in legal and mediation fees.

While not every couple can settle their divorce as quickly and inexpensively as Mr. McLaughlin and his ex-wife, the process they followed is a good model for couples who want to contain their costs: 

• They met with a mediator, talked about the finances of running two households and worked out a parenting plan for their daughter.
• The parenting plan became the basis for their custody agreement.
• They hashed out the general division of their major assets and child support payments by themselves.

 During this process, they each consulted with their respective attorneys, who did a good job of laying out the parameters of what the divorce agreement might look like.  After that, it didn't take long to finalize the details.  When they appeared before a judge in divorce court, they didn't bring attorneys with them. They even split the cost of the $230 filing fee.

Mr. McLaughlin acknowledges that this was a painstaking process that took several months to get squared away. But they weren't saddled with the pressure of getting something done quickly because of mounting legal fees.