We are often asked whether we can do flat fee divorce. We can do a flat fee divorce if the case meets these requirements.
- There are no minor children born from the marriage.
- The parties are in agreement that no spousal maintenance shall be paid.
- There is no real estate that needs to be sold or divided.
- Each party is keeping the stuff currently in their possession, and no items need to change hands.
- Bank accounts are already separated and bank account funds are already divided.
- There are no retirement accounts, or each party is keeping any retirement assets in his or her name.
- Each party gets one car, and the parties are in agreement about who gets which car. Or there is otherwise no dispute about the cars.
- There are no debts in both parties’ names, and each party will pay the debts in his or her name individually.
- Each party pays his or her own attorney’s fees.
- The parties are in agreement about all of the above.
If your case meets these requirements, we can do a flat fee divorce for $650 plus filing fees. Filing fees in Washington County as of May 2018 are $379 plus a $5 electronic filing fee. If you want a certified copy of the final decree, it is $16 plus a $5 electronic filing fee. For other counties, you can look up the fees at this link (remembering to add the $5 electronic filing fee).
The flat fee includes an initial half hour meeting with our attorney to be sure your case meets the requirements of the flat fee, and to answer any questions you may have. Then our paralegal will draft the divorce decree, our attorney will review and approve the draft, and the divorce decree will be filed. If at any time the case expands beyond the scope of a flat fee divorce, we will let you know, and additional fees would be incurred at the regular hourly rates of our attorney and paralegal.