You have reached the conclusion that your marriage is beyond repair and wish to file for divorce in Wisconsin. If you (or your spouse) have lived in the state for the last six months and for 30 days in the county where the petition is being filed, you shouldn’t have a hard time initiating the proceedings. While not mandatory, you may want to consider meeting a divorce lawyer in Wisconsin. People often don’t want to seek legal counsel because they are worried about the costs. Yes, hiring an attorney does add to the overall expenses of your divorce, but this could be the most significant step for doing the right things. How much will your divorce cost in Wisconsin? Here is an overview for your help.
The basics
If yours is an uncontested divorce, you will still need to pay a filing fee, and depending on the circumstances, you shouldn’t have to pay more than $3,000. Contested divorces, for obvious reasons, will cost more, often as high as $10,000 or more. There are several factors that can contribute to the overall expenses, including the choice of your attorney. Lawyers usually take a flat fee for DIY and uncontested divorces, but for more complicated cases, you will have to pay a retainer fee or an hourly rate.
Factors that matter
- Honesty: If you are honest with your attorney from day one, you will save time and money. Your lawyer wouldn’t have to spend as much time trying to gather information or discover things like hidden assets, which can bring down the expenses considerably.
- Cooperation: Again, if you choose to cooperate with your attorney and offer them all the documents and financial information they need, you will not have to worry much about spending more. Otherwise, your attorney will have to continue chasing you for info, which can waste their time and add to your divorce costs.
- Cooperation with the court: If you choose to be hard to get or do not take your deadlines and dates given by the court seriously, you may get extra time and new dates, but the case will move slowly. If you are inflexible with the court-appointed experts, you will only prolong the divorce.
Finally, if your spouse decides not to handle things with the same enthusiasm, they may play hard to get, which will eventually delay things. Talk to your lawyer if you think the other party is unlikely to cooperate.
