How to Save Money with Your Attorney and Get Better Results

By NICHOLAS GABRIELE, ESQ.

Okay, I admit it. I’m tired of all those divorce lawyer jokes. Yes, divorce can be expensive, but you can both be smart and save money if you go about things the right way. Once an outcome is finalized, there is usually little you can do about it or, if an outcome can be fixed at all, it can be very expensive. It is probably something you will have to live with the rest of your life, so you better do it right! To help cut down on those jokes and help you through the divorce minefield, here are few hot tips:

• Choose an attorney who has a reputation as a good negotiator, not one who only has a reputation for going to war. Though a war may sometimes be necessary, they are generally expensive, and no one really wins.
• Make a list of both your immediate and future needs and goals, as well as any issues on which you feel there might be room to negotiate a compromise. Discuss your list with your lawyer.
• Refer to your list often, so you stay focused on the business at hand. You undoubtedly have important emotional issues, but using your lawyer to deal with these can change the focus from providing for your financial future to costly litigation.
• Pay close attention to your future financial circumstances. Organize the financial records and documents your lawyer may ask you to gather as best you can. Get these materials to your lawyer as soon as possible.
• Cooperate whenever possible with your spouse. Avoid stonewalling. Avoid “dirty tricks.” The emotional and financial tolls for such games can be enormous.