As a celebrity divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser has seen her fair share of wacky requests.
“A couple once had a parrot they were fighting over,” Wasser, who has represented Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears and Ariana Grande, and is the chief evolution officer at Divorce.com, says.
When emotions are raw, it’s tempting to hand these disputes off to your lawyer. But, it’ll save you lots of money and time if you simply cut out the middle man, Wasser says.
“The biggest mistake couples make is not owning what’s going on,” she says. “If you let lawyers take control of it, remember, we lawyers make money from your conflict.”
‘Take back the power’
Couples will often use lawyers to hash out tedious requests, most of which don’t require any legal expertise. All of those emails Wasser sends come at a cost.
The average price of an uncontested divorce is between $1,500 and $5,500, according to reporting by CNBC. A contested divorce runs from $40,000 to $140,000.
“I’m not saying divorce lawyers are evil people,” she says. “I’m just saying it’s our job to argue about things for you. Some of us don’t realize that our greatest job or duty is to resolve things.”
You can avoid sky high bills by communicating with your partner.
“Take back the power,” she says. “Write how you feel. See if there is something you could come up with. Usually, you can figure it out.”
Unfortunately, the most common reason people get divorced, Wasser says, is because they can’t communicate.
“Because you don’t develop the communication tools when things are going well, then when things are not going well you tend to not have the ability or wherewithal to discuss them,” she says.
But, if you can find a way to convey what you’re feeling and what’s important to you, it will be much more cost-effective than having a lawyer relay your message.
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