Getting divorced is never easy. But when you have to deal with high legal bills along with everything else it can be scarier than it has to be. We have come up with several ways you can keep your legal costs under control.

1. Is a lawyer really necessary? Often the answer is "yes". Where else can you go to find out what your legal rights and responsibilities are? But after you get the answers to your questions if may be possible for you to take care of the remainder of your divorce by yourself - possibly with just a little help.

The vast majority of divorce cases are uncontested - the spouses have agreed on the terms of divorce. The relationship is over and needs legal closure. You cannot expect the court office to prepare your paperwork for you but there are some affordable alternatives to law firms.

The first is a do-it-yourself divorce kit. This is really a workbook with a lot of fill-in-the-blank type forms. They usually cost between $20 and $40 and you can find them at most bookstores and stationary stores. Expect to spend many hours figuring out how to fill in the forms but you will save a lot of money in the end.

Another option which saves you all the time of working through the kit and paper work on your own is to use of the divorce document assembly services advertised on the Internet. These cost about $250 for which you get all the documents you need ready for you to sign, date and file - along with complete instructions. This middle option is a bit more expensive than a kit but a lot easier and faster and still saves you a ton of money when compared to hiring a lawyer to do the same thing.

2. Hire a mediator. If there are some issues that you and your spouse have been unable to settle by yourselves a mediator should be the next person you turn to for help. Mediation is where your negotiations are assisted by a person who has specific training in helping two sides come to an agreement they can both live with. Most issues, even the most difficult issues, will be resolved through mediation.

Compared to a divorce trial which you can expect to cost each spouse tens of thousands of dollars, mediation will only cost a few thousand each, possibly even less.

3. Most lawyers will offer a 30 minute free consultation if you ask for it - even lawyers who do not advertise this. When you call a law office to set up an appointment, don't be shy about asking if there is a free initial consultation. If not, don't set up the appointment, call another firm instead.

4. You always need to keep in mind that every minute your lawyer works on your case will be added to your bill - at a rate of between $150 to $400 per hour. Think of that every time you are tempted to call for an update or to complain about the latest thing your spouse did to annoy you. Instead, ask for copies of all correspondence to be sent to you and for a regular monthly update. It's almost always better (and cheaper) to make notes and discuss everything with your lawyer at once than contacting him/her about each little thing.

5. If possible you might try to arrange to pay a flat fee for some or all of your lawyer's services rather than paying by the hour. Most won't agree but if your lawyer will it will relieve both of you from the concern over billing and let you place all your attention on getting results. This is also an excellent motivator for your lawyer to get the whole case finished as quickly and easily as possible.

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Howard MacKinnon
Divorce Document Service for Canadians

Another good thing about coming to terms and filing a uncontested divorce form is that you don't need to hire an attorney to represent you and fight for you in court.

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Who am I: Nicholas Copernicus
Website: http://www.LegalFormsBank.biz
Im here to: Help.
Background: I've been a legal assistant for about 5 years now.