Marriage or at least marriage at the time people say “I do”, is a contract where a man and a woman envision and mutually promise to spend their entire lifetime together, sticking together through sunshine and rainbows, through rain, hail, and snow, and through thick and thin.
However in this day and age where life is faster and more complicated than it has ever been people generally make decisions based on impulse, which is why we see more and more people disregarding their vows of “till death do us part” and choosing to end their marriage.
It is nothing but ironic that our generation, which spends so much time and money finalizing legal contracts for our other business partnerships and alliances, completely ignores the importance of planning for the marriage contract where one will be entering a partnership that will supposedly last the rest of our lives.
Let’s face it, divorces are expensive! And messy! And did I mention… EXPENSIVE!
What if I told you there was a way you can get a cheap divorce without a lawyer?
In all fairness, even if you are madly in love now, talking about marriage, thinking about divorce can be a bummer.
But in the opinion of this writer, the time for partners to sit down and discuss every aspect of their proposed life together should be before the wedding.
Couples should finalize and agree on all possible post-marital roles, scenarios, and foreseeable future expectations, and then sign the marriage contract accordingly.
This is a great exercise that will also result in the managing of expectations and will definitely save both partners from disappointments later on if any.
In addition, this is a time where you can add the discussed stipulations into a pre-nuptial agreement.
A rock-solid pre-nuptial agreement can also save you on some exorbitant lawyer’s fees in case things don’t turn out the way you envision in the hunky-dory stage of early love.
Finally, it can serve as a way to get a cheap divorce if things don’t work out for the two marital partners as agreed and planned.
In case there is no comprehensive pre-nuptial agreement, the next best option for a couple seeking a cheap divorce is to put their emotions aside and sit down together like responsible and mature adults to discuss the matter.
It may help to list down all possible post-divorce expectations and roles in order for each of them to fulfil their ethical and civil obligations to their ex-partner.
This would assist them in making a graceful exit which would ensure a win-win situation for all the primary and secondary stakeholders who are bound to get affected as a result of their divorce.
It is always a better option to sit down together and sort things out on your own where you can discuss every possible detail with your ex rather than seeking the help of another individual who is doing it for the money and not for your happiness.
Barring one or two irreconcilable differences, one can always agree on the majority of the issues and sort them out amicably with an ex.
Here are some important points and considerations for couples who are planning to divorce cheaply and without the help of expensive lawyers.
- Prepare a divorce agreement mutually together with your ex.
- Do not discuss the reasons for divorce or get into a blame game about whose fault the divorce is. You have to approach this entire exercise impartially and remove all the bias and hate that you have for the other person.
- Remember that you are not trying to salvage your marital relationship rather the whole point of this exercise is to amicably handle all their post-divorce obligations in a manner that is considered mature, sane, and civilized.
- Discuss each aspect objectively and define expectations and roles clearly. Remember only you and your ex understand the actual circumstances that you two find yourselves in.
- Be realistic at all times when you are listing down expectations for each other, be it financial, ethical, or moral.
If all requirements, roles, and expectations have been identified, both parties will be clear on what is expected of them and what is not.
So it won’t be as painstaking a task for the two parties to settle matters as they will have agreed to the terms earlier.
It will save them from seeking expensive legal opinions and advice and as far as costs are concerned, it is the ideal case for couples who want to get a cheap divorce without a lawyer.