Many clients hire their attorney for a divorce and have a predetermined mindset that may affect the course of the divorce sometimes to their detriment. Many clients often look at the end of the case before understanding the beginning and middle of the case which may also affect the final resolution. Common mistakes to avoid during a divorce are particularly worthy of noting so that your case will have the highest likelihood of a smooth and successful transition from marriage to divorce.

One of the first questions nearly every divorce attorney gets asked during the initial consult is, “How much will this divorce cost?” Although clients should aspire to save costs, they shouldn’t cut corners in their divorce. First, a client should select an attorney with experience, a good reputation, and who understands the process in the jurisdiction where the case will be filed. All of these prerequisites will save a client money because the attorney should be able to use their professional experience to navigate the court process. An attorney’s understanding of how a particular court will make a decision is invaluable information and in the long term will be more cost effective. It is difficult to define how much a divorce will cost in the first session because a party may not know how litigious the other spouse might be or if the parties will be able to amicably resolve their case without court intervention. Instead, clients should focus on how they can assist their attorney by timely providing documents and other pieces of information requested and cooperating with court-ordered directives instead of litigating every issue. Cost-saving decisions such as hiring a less expensive attorney versus hiring a more experienced attorney is a common mistake a client makes that often results in greater attorney fees to the uninformed client.