What is the cheapest way to get divorced in Virginia?
If you want the absolute cheapest divorce possible, you can do it yourself. It is your right to do so. But is it the best choice? Personally, we don’t think so. We don’t care if you hire us or another law firm. But please, don’t mess up your own divorce. Consider the following:
1. Time off work: You will need to take time of work. You will likely go to court and request various documents, and then go back to file. When you file, there is a good chance you won’t file everything that’s needed. Then you will show up to court on a day you think is the day your divorce will be finalized. You’ll find out that the judge won’t finalize the divorce because you have not met all the necessary requirements. That’s more time off work, for nothing, and that has a cost.
2. Cost: What some people don’t realize is that even if they handle a divorce themselves, or “pro se,” there are other costs. For example, court costs. In Virginia, court costs can run upwards of $100. That’s true even if your divorce doesn’t go through, and you may have to pay that fee several times if you don’t get all the paperwork just it right.
3. Frustration: Divorce is not as simple as many people think, and therefore, people who draft their own legal documents often make mistakes. You will likely be very frustrated trying to determine what you need to file with the court.
4. Substantive problems: If you draft your own marital settlement agreement, you will likely have problems. For example, people think that just because only one person’s name is on a bank account, that bank account belongs to only one person. But that’s not necessarily true. If the money in the account was acquired during that marriage and was not a gift, then that bank account is the property of both married people (called “marital property”).
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