How much will you charge in total attorney fees if my spouse (soon-to-be ex-spouse) and I already agree on all the terms of our divorce? 

If you and your spouse agree on all the terms of your divorce case—like spousal support, division of property and debts, and child-related issues—you probably should NOT use our firm. Rather, we recommend contacting Peaceful Separations, an Everett-based agreed divorce service that uses paralegals to complete and submit routine agreed divorce forms. Peaceful Separations charges much less than a law firm (including ours), and Peaceful Separations tends to get the job done right. We do not recommend using any other agreed divorce services, especially the ones you might see advertised online. Other agreed divorce services appear to make a tremendous number of mistakes from what we encounter, and correcting those errors can be expensive or, in some cases, impossible. If Peaceful Separations cannot process an aspect of your case, they will probably tell you so. Come back to us in that situation.

Can you help with parts of my case rather than representing me fully? 

Yes, oftentimes we represent clients on an “unbundled” basis rather than representing them in all aspects of their cases. For example, a client might ask us to limit our representation to the review of an opposing party’s settlement offer, the drafting of a difficult document, or the preparation of written materials for a motion. We have a few rules for these types of unbundled services. First, we will not appear in court (orally argue a matter in the courtroom) if we have not prepared the written materials for the court appearance. Second, we will not appear at trial (represent a client in-person at trial) if we have not prepared the case for trial. Third, we reserve the right to refuse a request for unbundled legal work if we believe the unbundled services would jeopardize the client’s case.

How long will it take to get divorced? 

Statistics from several years ago suggest the average divorce takes about eleven months from start to finish. Some divorces resolve themselves faster, and others drag on much longer. The shortest divorces take 91 days. The required 90-day cooling off period ensures no divorce can finalize in less than 91-days.

Can I get the divorced faster by waiving the 90-day waiting period? 

No, nobody can waive the 90-day cooling off period. Parties cannot get divorced in Washington in less than 91 days—the 91st day being the first after expiration of the 90-day cooling off period.

What documents should I bring when I first meet with you at Genesis? 

Bring the documents already filed in the case. If neither party has filed anything yet, then you probably do not need to bring any documentation to your first attorney-client meeting at Genesis Law Firm. On the other hand, if you have volumes of previously filed documents, you might want to speak with your Genesis attorney about which ones he or she would most want to read.

How much does a divorce usually cost in attorney fees? 

We are not aware of any official statistics on how much the average divorce costs in attorney fees. At least one online source puts the national average at about $20,000 per party; but this is higher than the average at Genesis, where many of our cases cost between $1,500 and $10,000 in attorney fees per party. Of our cases costing upwards of $20,000 in attorney fees, the clients tend to be wealthy enough to afford more demanding litigation than the average case would warrant. The actual cost of a divorce depends largely on how rigorously each party chooses to litigate, the complexity of the case, and each attorney’s hourly rate. Sometimes our firm’s lower hourly rate results in significantly lower total attorney fees than another firm might charge. Other times our lower hourly rate allows us to work harder than opposing counsel while ultimately charging the same total fees as the opposition.

Is mediation required before going to trial? 

Yes, you cannot proceed to a divorce trial without completing mediation.

If mediation is required, should my spouse and I schedule mediation at the beginning of the case? 

Ultimately the answer to this question depends on each client’s preference. When parties schedule mediation at the beginning of the divorce process, the likelihood of settlement appears to be around 50%. The likelihood of settlement increases to about 95% when the parties mediate at the end of their divorce case. Divorcing spouses typically elect to mediate at the end of their case—about a month before their scheduled trial date.

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Cost of Uncontested Divorce

We should begin by defining the term ‘uncontested’. In this context, uncontested means the parties (husband and wife) settle at the outset of the case. By way of further clarification, it does NOT simply mean the parties agree to a divorce. To be uncontested, the parties must reach agreement on EACH AND EVERY TERM AT THE DATE THE DIVORCE PETITION IS FILED. This is because an agreed petition (petition and joinder) delineates the terms of the settlement, such who receives what assets, who pays what debts, and the amount of alimony.

If the divorcing parties meet this criterion, they are in luck (in a sense)—an uncontested divorce is much less expensive than the contested variety. Most agreed divorce services in Washington State charge between $500 and $700 including the $300+ court filing fee. Our firm recommends an agreed divorce service named Peaceful Separations, which charges closer to $700 including the court filing fee. We recommend Peaceful Separations because they seem to do the job right, whereas many other agreed divorce services botch the paperwork in our experience. We have no affiliation with Peaceful Separations; this is our unbiased opinion.

Cost of Contested Divorce

As you probably gathered, contested divorces can be expensive—very expensive. The cost is also difficult to predict, because it depends on how hard each party fights. Many contested cases begin as skirmishes but end as wars. The harder the parties fight, the more hours the attorneys bill and the more expensive the case becomes.

A self-help website named Nolo performed a survey indicating the national average for a contested divorce is around $19,500 per party, largely in attorney fees. A similar Nolo survey for Washingtonians put the average around $13,400. But it seems Nolo’s methodology contained flaws that skewed their statistics downward by almost half, particularly for Washington. Nolo’s average for Washington did not filter out uncontested divorces, and the survey participants were all from Nolo’s self-help site (bargain hunters).

A 2006 Forbes article estimated most contested cases in the US cost between $15,000 and $30,000 per side. Adjusted for inflation, that means contested cases would presumably average between $17,600 and $35,300 in 2015. The halfway point of this range would be $26,450 per divorcee. Another Forbes article, published in 2015, estimated most contested divorces cost between $5,000 and $50,000 per person, putting the halfway point at $27,500.

Absent any more reputable statistical studies on contested divorce fees in the United States or Washington State, it appears Forbes’s guesswork may be the best information available.

If you want to predict the cost of representation in your case, you might begin by comparing your attorney’s hourly rate to the national average, which is around $250 for a divorce lawyer. You could, in turn, determine whether your case is likely to be on the high or low end of Forbes’ estimated range. For example, most divorce lawyers in the Puget Sound area charge between $250 and $350 per hour, which might make divorces in the Puget Sound slightly more costly than the national average.

You might further refine your prediction by factoring in the complexity of your anticipated case. If you and the opposing party have no dependent children together, your case will probably be less expensive. On the other hand, your case might be much more expensive if the parties are wealthy, with some well-to-do divorcees spending millions on attorney fees.

For more free articles, guides, and videos, we encourage you to visit our website’s ‘resources’ section located among the tabs at the top of this page. Or call us at 866-631-0028 to speak directly to one of our firm’s divorce lawyers. We pride ourselves in providing stellar representation at substantially lower hourly rates than other firms in the Puget Sound.