If you want to start a divorce because you have “almost” agreed to everything, then congrats. I think you are well on your way to a fast and affordable uncontested divorce in Illinois.
You probably know that the fastest and most affordable way to get divorced in Illinois is an uncontested divorce. This is otherwise known as an amicable divorce, or a divorce by agreement. But what do you do is you cannot quite reach an absolutely full agreement?
A consultation with an Illinois divorce lawyer
Free consultations are basically a lawyer marketing gimmick.
While we talk to people on the phone for a few minutes without charge, to really get into the substance of your divorce, you need a paid consultation. Our objective in a paid consultation is to provide you the most information possible.
Sometimes a little consultation can go a long way. For example, when trying to figure out what to do with a house in an Illinois divorce. By they way, if you are dealing with that issue, you should check out this article about handling the house in a divorce.
Instead of just sitting there for awhile and impressing you with our fancy furniture, as many other lawyers would try to do, we would actually try to provide you with useful information to help you resolve your problems. Sometimes, we can suggest creative solutions. Therefore, if you and your spouse are at a stalemate, our creative solutions can help you reach an agreement.
Consider the value of what you’re fighting about
It is true that people need to be in full agreement to get an uncontested divorce in Illinois. But most marriages contained many different points about which to disagree. What you need to realize is this: breaking up a marriage should be as close to breaking up a business as possible. That means that when the concern is a financial one, you should try to make decisions based upon financial factors.
For example consider the following situation. A couple might have a car with an outstanding balance on a loan of $2000. Maybe neither person wants the car, so each wants to stick the other person with the car and the loan. While $2,000 is nothing to sneeze at, it’s probably not worth paying a lawyer more $4,000 to fight about the car in the car loan.
Don’t be one of those people who will spend $4,000 to save $2,000.
Get rid of your emotional baggage
People get married because of emotions. They also often get divorced because of emotions.
But that doesn’t mean the motions are what should guide a divorce.
If emotions are guiding your financial decisions in a divorce, then you are probably headed for a very lengthy and expensive divorce.
Maybe you think you were wronged in your divorce. You might be mad that your spouse cheated on your period or maybe you are mad that your spouse is mean to you. You might resent having worked so much to provide financial benefits to your spouse, only to be treated like garbage in your marriage.
Guess what? None of that matters.
Court would be 100 times as busy, and judges would be 100 times as angry if people came to court and were allowed to fight continuously about their personal beefs.
The sooner you stop trying to get revenge, the sooner you can move on with your life. And that’s why you need to make decisions based on financial outcomes, not whether or not you’re mad at someone, or whether you think the other person doesn’t really deserve all the law says they do.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when fighting is appropriate. For example, if someone is trying to lie to get a better outcome. Another example would be when a person is claiming to be unable to find a full time job in order to manipulate the court into getting a large amount of spousal maintenance, formally known as alimony. In cases like that, it might actually make sense to fight a bit (and if that is the case, an uncontested divorce is not for you).
Listen to your lawyer, particularly when you can save money
Many clients who have contested casea come to me and tell me they want to fight about a long list of items. In the beginning the case, I tell them this will be expensive, and take a long time. They seem gung-ho. It’s almost as if they have unlimited funds with which to fight the case. Then eventually, they realize it’s not worth it, and they settle.
Most people know that hiring a lawyer is expensive. So when a lawyer tells you how to spend less money with a lawyer, it’s a good idea to listen.
Starting an uncontested divorce in Illinois
We make starting an uncontested divorce very easy. The basic steps are as follows. First, you sign a retainer agreement and pay an affordable flat fee. Then you fill out our intake form, and send it back. We then draft the settlement agreement and other documents needed colour and upon your review and approval, we file it with the court and get a court date to finalize the case. We then go to court with you to finalize the case. Many people take about one month from start to finish.
If you want some more information, see this article about starting the process for an uncontested divorce in Illinois.
It’s possible for it to be a bit faster, and sometimes it’s a bit longer. The total time it takes depends upon how quickly people review documents, how complicated your case is, and the court’s schedule.
But one thing is for sure. The sooner we get started, the sooner you will be divorced in Illinois.