Divorce is not the outcome you expect from your marriage, and it’s not an experience you usually want in life. However, events do not always develop as we plan them to, and it’s better to be informed about what to do and how to tackle this complex matter from the very start.
Sometimes you may need to resort to the assistance of experienced divorce lawyers, so we decided to give you a guideline on available services and pricing attached to their legal work.
Paths to Divorce
You may be divorcing your partner in a straightforward casual manner when additional issues like child support or property matters are not under dispute. Or you may be stuck in an argument over some of these points. In both cases, the process of filing for and finishing a divorce is a separate one, and settlement of other matters is performed in parallel to the divorce process. Prices will depend on the number of legal services involved correspondingly.
Divorce As Is
Just to remind you, in Australia, you can file for divorce after 12 months of separation from your marital partner. If this condition is observed, you can initiate the process by filing the standardized form with your signature, it then is sent to the Family Court electronically, and you are charged a fee automatically. The cost of filing is around $900, and it is the state fee charged for the work of public servants and documentation preparation. The fee is charged no matter if you have a lawyer or not.
It is already at the stage of filing the divorce application that you may need a lawyer or a paralegal. Their help is valuable in filling out the forms, gathering all additional papers, and making sure that you do not miss the time allocated for each step.
A lawyer may also be present (without arguing the case) during the court hearing when the divorce is finalized. The professional will ensure that your interests are observed and you do not lose anything.
This kind of help is usually the cheapest. The most beneficial mode of charging fees for you is per hour (per service delivered). Then you pay solely for the work performed.
Hourly rates of work of a lawyer range from $280 to $600, and a paralegal’s work costs $80 to $180 per hour. In a simple divorce ‘file – submit – show up in court’ you can expect to pay the lawyer around $940 for their work and the divorce filing fee to the state (around $900).
That’s the minimum threshold, but with a good lawyer, you can be sure that everything will go as expected, from paperwork to finalizing the divorce.
Other Matters Related To A Divorce and Their Costs
However, it is not always so that the divorce does not involve property matters or concerns of childcare. You should know that settling other issues like asset separation or child support needs to go along the divorce process. The two are not inherently connected.
So the regular advice and supervision (and probably court representation) of an experienced lawyer is highly recommended right from the start. Then you will have your affairs settled properly and in line with allocated time (and time limits are sometimes confined in the Australian divorce legislation).
The burning question is then the cost of such services. An hourly rate may tell you little about the total sum you will have to pay at the end.
– Roughly, a simple case of asset separation or discussion of private school fees for kids will total $5,000 of the lawyer’s fees. Mind that custody or other matters related to the child’s well-being or place of living do not involve a lawyer’s assistance. They are decided by the state-managed child protection system.
– Disputing over property matters on the stage of case assessment will cost about $4,000.
– First hearing and contesting will cost $5,000 (full working day).
– Hopefully, you will not need to start a trial, but a day in a trial will also cost $5,000.
– If real estate inspection and valuation are necessary, it will total up to $1,000. Valuation of a whole business will cost around $6,000 (all actions and paperwork included).
As you see, costs depend on the scope of service and the number of hours or days spent in courtrooms.
We hope that your marriage lasts long and brings you happiness, but if things go south, make sure that you have proper legal support to settle matters in a civil way. Our divorce lawyers in Parramatta are always available to you, so never hesitate to reach out and book a meeting. They know how to deal with such delicate issues professionally and ethically, reducing your worries to the minimum.
Also Visit: Colour Prediction Game: Colour Prediction Game Hack
