I have flat rates for uncontested divorces in Alabama, which always include the cost of preparing the agreement and all other forms and paperwork needed for the divorce. My charge for a simple uncontested divorce is 100 dollars when there are no minor children, 150 dollars if you have young children. You also need to pay a filing fee. That’s running $268.37 in Talladega County where I file my uncontested divorces. And that’s for using a real, live lawyer who answers your questions in real time. And when you and your spouse have signed the papers I prepare for you, I will file them and send you the divorce decree.
Yes, I know those rates are crazy low in relation to online divorce services and most other divorce lawyers. If you’re curious how I can charge so little, here’s an explanation.
All my flat rates for uncontested divorce assume an initial session of an hour or less in which we prepare the papers and that you and your spouse sign the papers in the form we prepare them. If it takes more time than that, or if you have to make changes to the papers after we prepare them, that’s okay. I just ask you to pay me for the extra time at my hourly rate of $100, measured in tenths of an hour. So if it takes an extra 10 minutes, that’s an extra 2/10 of an hour, or $20 I’d ask you to pay me.
If you opt for a simple uncontested divorce, I ask you to provide me the information for your Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit is fine) when we have our conversation to prepare the papers. I will charge it for the legal fee then. I prefer that you wait and pay me the filing fee when you and your spouse have signed the papers and you’re actually ready to file them with the court. You will have your choice of sending me a check or money order if you want, but most people just have me charge the filing fee to the same card.
By far the majority of people who use me for an uncontested divorce pay the flat rate and nothing more. You may not believe it yet because you don’t know me well, but that’s my clear preference. The less you pay, the happier you are, and therefore the happier I am to work with you. Among those who end up paying extra, here are the main reasons they tend to pay more, in order:
- You or your spouse changes your mind about what the papers should say after our initial session, requiring revision after the papers are prepared.
- You and your spouse are agreeable, but you’ve agreed on an unusual arrangement about custody or visitation of children, about financial support for children, or about disposition of a piece of real estate (commonly the marital home), requiring time-consuming custom drafting.
- You and your spouse are agreeable, but both of you participate on the telephone call to prepare the papers, and one or both of you takes a long time to communicate what you want the papers to say, or you deliberate a long time about the wording of the documents.
- You and your spouse are not able to reach agreement, so I spend a long time on the phone while you work through the issues together.
- There’s essential information missing, like a Social Security number or other data, that requires me to revisit the documents after we have prepared them.
If you’re ready to get started, it’s easy. Just fill out this quick form, and I’ll get back to you.
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Because this page discusses my practice, I need to say this: no representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.