If you are like many spouses who are contemplating a divorce, one of your concerns is keeping your costs down during the divorce process. With this in mind, you might be thinking about trying to handle the process on your own—an approach commonly referred to as a “DIY divorce.”

But, while a DIY divorce might seem like the cheapest option, the reality is that mistakes during the process can prove very costly. They can also leave you with a lot of uncertainty—which can lead to new challenges (and new costs) down the line. Plus, the reality is that hiring a divorce lawyer isn’t as expensive (or, at least, doesn’t have to be as expensive) as many people think. As a result, even if cost is a primary concern, it will still most likely make sense for you to seek help from a lawyer who can help you navigate the process as cost-effectively as possible.

Understanding the Risks of Pursuing a DUI Divorce

To understand why working with an experienced divorce lawyer can be the most cost-effective approach, we can look at some of the risks involved with pursuing a DUI divorce. These risks include:

1. Overlooking Assets or Income

When going through the divorce process, it is important to make sure that you address all pertinent issues related to your finances and marital property. Overlooking issues means that they will be left unresolved; and, as discussed above, this can lead to costly problems down the line.

While this may seem fairly straightforward, overlooking assets or income sources is surprisingly easy. Reaching a comprehensive divorce settlement requires careful consideration of all real, personal, and digital assets; any associated debts; and all sources of income (including “gig” work, investments, gambling, and online business activities).

2. Improperly Applying Illinois’s Equitable Distribution Law

One of the most common mistakes spouses make when pursuing a DIY divorce is improperly applying Illinois’s equitable distribution law. While this law requires divorcing spouses to divide their marital property equally in most cases, there are exceptions.

There are also additional considerations involved. For example, in most (but not all) cases, assets that one spouse owned before the marriage are that spouse’s assets to keep after their divorce. Additionally, if certain assets have associated debts (i.e., a mortgage on the family home), this requires careful consideration during the equitable distribution process.

3. Improperly Applying Illinois’s “Best Interests” Factors for Parenting Time

If you have minor children from your marriage, you will need to develop a parenting time plan during your divorce. This requires proper application of Illinois’s “best interests” factors. Even if you and your spouse reach an agreement regarding post-divorce parenting time, if your agreement does not reflect your children’s “best interests”—as determined by Illinois law—the judge may not approve your plan.

Overlooking issues is a concern here as well. For example, if you do not make provisions for birthdays, holidays, vacations, afterschool activities, or other special circumstances, you and your spouse will not have guidance for how to manage these situations after your divorce.

4. Incorrectly Calculating Alimony or Child Support

If you have minor children from your marriage, you will also need to address child support during your divorce. While this usually involves applying Illinois’s Child Support Guidelines, here too, there are exceptions.

Calculating alimony is altogether different. Rather than establishing specific guidelines, Illinois law gives divorcing spouses broad flexibility to agree on an appropriate alimony plan—assuming they are willing to do so. But, if you agree to accept too little (or to pay too much), you could find that you are unable to sustain the standard of living that you enjoyed during your marriage.

5. Encountering Issues You and Your Spouse Can’t Resolve on Your Own

Due to the complexity of the divorce process, it is not uncommon for divorcing spouses to encounter issues that they can’t resolve on their own—even when they are broadly on the same page. If you and your spouse aren’t able to find a mutually agreeable path forward, or if you aren’t sure what you need to do to address a particular issue, you will need to seek legal advice to ensure that you are making informed decisions with your long-term best interests in mind.

How an Experienced Divorce Lawyer Can Help Minimize the Costs of the Divorce Process

Now that you know about some of the concerns involved with pursuing a DIY divorce, what can a divorce lawyer do to help? Here are just some of the ways an experienced divorce lawyer can help with the divorce process (and help minimize your costs along the way):

  • Ensuring that You Have All of the Information You Need – From identifying all of your marital assets to making sure you address all pertinent parenting time-related considerations, your divorce lawyer can ensure that you have all of the information you need.
  • Helping You Understand How Illinois’s Divorce Laws Apply to Your Situation – Your lawyer can also help you understand how Illinois’s equitable distribution law, child custody law, alimony law, and other divorce laws apply to your specific circumstances.
  • Helping You Anticipate and Plan to Overcome Disputes – Recognizing that you and your spouse are bound to disagree on some aspects of your divorce, your lawyer can help you anticipate and plan to overcome any disputes that may arise.
  • Handling the Technicalities of Your Divorce for You – From applying Illinois’s “best interests” factors to properly filing your divorce petition in court, your lawyer can handle the technicalities of the divorce process for you.
  • Providing the Confidence and Certainty You Need to Move On – Finally, and most importantly, an experienced divorce lawyer will be able to provide you with the confidence and certainty you need to move on with your life after your divorce.

Schedule a Free, No-Obligation Consultation with Gurnee, IL Divorce Lawyer Deanna J. Bowen

Do you need to know more about the legal considerations involved in getting divorced in Illinois? If so, we invite you to get in touch. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with Gurnee divorce lawyer Deanna J. Bowen, please call 847-623-4002 or request an appointment online today.