When contemplating divorce, one of the questions that may pop up in your mind is how much it will cost you. There are no two ways about it: divorce can be expensive. On top of splitting households (and doubling your expenses), you will also have to pay for lawyers, court costs, and other expenses.

A typical divorce with attorneys in Colorado costs each party between $10,000 and $15,000. This number may be significantly less if you and your spouse can settle on the major issues and file an uncontested divorce. If you cannot agree on all issues, the case will go to court, and your expenses go up significantly. 

At Ascent Legal Group, we know that financial considerations are often a big factor in the decision to get a divorce for our clients. We will work with you to try to resolve your divorce amicably and for as little money as possible – while still protecting your interests. Contact our law offices today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Colorado divorce attorney.

How Much Will It Cost for Me to Get Divorced in Colorado?

When talking about the cost of a divorce, we understand that our clients are often considering both the legal costs and/or the property division (such as splitting retirement accounts with a soon-to-be-ex). What a divorce might cost you in terms of property division and spousal support is very fact-specific. This post focuses more on the legal costs associated with getting divorced.

In any divorce, you will typically pay attorney’s fees and court costs. You may also have other expenses such as paying for a mediator or administrative fees (such as postage and copying). In complex or high asset divorces there are often fees for experts like forensic accountants or real estate appraisers.  The total amount that you pay will vary based on the level of contention and complexity of your divorce, but from our experience, the average is typically between $10,000 and $15,000.

Attorney Fees

The first category of expenses is attorney’s fees. Depending on their level of experience, family law attorneys in Colorado can charge an hourly rate anywhere between $300 and $450 per hour (although that number could be higher or lower depending on where you live). Most law firms require an initial retainer (which is typically several thousand dollars). That retainer is placed in a trust account and set aside for your legal fees. As your attorney works, they deduct your fees from your retainer. Law firms vary in the minimum they require in your retainer, the “evergreen” amount, but once you dip below that amount, the firm will typically require you to replenish your retainer.

The total amount that you pay your attorney could be less than your initial retainer – or substantially more. Because you are paying an hourly rate, you will pay more if your Colorado divorce lawyer works more hours. For example, if your divorce goes to trial, then your total fees can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. If you are able to work out an agreement for an uncontested divorce, you might spend just a few thousand dollars in attorney’s fees.

Court Costs

You will also be responsible for court costs. In Colorado, the cost to file a petition for divorce is $230. A response to a divorce petition will cost $116. There are also various costs associated with other filings like $105 to modify or amend a decree. In addition, if children are involved, you will have to pay for a court-ordered parenting class. 

There may be other costs associated with your divorce. If your case goes into discovery, for example, you may have to pay a court reporter to attend a deposition and then pay for a transcript of the deposition. If you decide to go to mediation, then you will have to pay the mediator an hourly fee of $100 to $300 for their services. Other typical costs include postage, copies, and a process server.

All in all, you may expect to pay anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 (or more) for a Colorado divorce. As discussed in greater detail below, there are many factors that affect the total cost of your Colorado divorce.

Factors that Affect the Cost of a Divorce

No two divorces are alike. While we can provide a ballpark estimate of how much a divorce will cost, it will ultimately come down to the details of your case. Below, we break down some of the issues that may impact the total price that you can expect to pay for your divorce.

Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce

In Colorado, there are two types of divorce: contested and uncontested. With a contested divorce, you and your spouse aren’t able to agree on the major issues in your case – such as child custody and support, property division, and alimony. With an uncontested divorce, both spouses come to an agreement on these issues and jointly file a petition and the agreement with the court. If the court approves the agreement, then a divorce can be granted as soon as 91 days after filing.

An uncontested divorce will cost far less than a contested divorce. You’ll be splitting a single filing fee – and usually won’t have to do much more once the agreement is finalized. While it is a good idea to hire a Colorado divorce attorney to protect your interests and draft the agreement, their time should be relatively minimal. Even with legal representation, you might spend a few thousand dollars or less to get divorced.

A contested divorce is far more expensive than an uncontested divorce. You will simply have more costs, including separate lawyers for each spouse. You might still be able to reach an agreement without going to trial – but the process is usually more costly. If you have to go to trial, then it may take well over a year and a substantial amount of money to get divorced.

Having an attorney can often help you save money in a contested divorce. This may sound counterintuitive, but many disagreements between spouses can often be resolved when they better understand the likely outcome if the case goes to trial. For example, your ex might insist that they won’t pay you a dime to buy you out of the house – but then may change their tune once their attorney explains that a court would require them to do so (and that getting to that point will cost quite a bit of money).  Lawyers can often help the parties work through any areas of disagreement, which can help you avoid the expense of litigation.

Complexity of the Divorce

The bigger and more complex the issues in a divorce, the more it will cost to get divorced. A divorce case may be considered complicated because of the amount and type of assets at issue, jurisdictional issues if one party leaves the state, any unique issues with child custody, and requests for spousal support. Simply put, the more problems that there are to work out, the more your divorce will likely cost.

Level of Conflict

When a divorcing couple is angry at each other, it can greatly increase the total expense of a divorce. It is understandable that one or both spouses might be mad – and even that they might be unreasonable as a result of their anger. However, it often makes divorce more expensive when a couple fights over every little thing.

Think of it this way: if you and your ex are fighting over every little item in your house, you’ll end up paying more in attorney’s fees. High-conflict divorces almost always mean more time in negotiations, more time in litigation, and more time in court. 

Unfortunately, this factor is sometimes out of your control. You might be willing to compromise, but your ex might be particularly vengeful. Issues like narcissism, abuse, and a desire to control can also lead to more conflict – and higher costs. If you find yourself in this situation, you can talk to your Colorado Springs divorce lawyer about how to handle the situation.

Child Custody and Support Issues

Child custody is often a major issue in divorce, with neither parent wanting to give up time with their kids. While child support is based on a formula in Colorado, it is affected by the amount of time that your kids spend at your house – which can lead to more arguments over custody. If you and your ex are having trouble agreeing about how to share custody – or difficulty co-parenting – it will likely result in increased divorce costs.

Property Division and Spousal Support

In many divorces, property division is relatively straightforward. You might have relatively few assets or perhaps you signed a prenuptial agreement outlining each spouse’s rights. Similarly, alimony might not come into play if both parties have roughly similar earning potential.

In some cases, such as high net worth divorces, battles over property division and spousal maintenance can be intense. This can often increase the total cost of a divorce substantially. 

The Need for Litigation

Even if your divorce doesn’t ultimately land in court, you might still need to go through the litigation process. This may include filing legal motions as well as discovery – the process of exchanging information. Discovery usually involves depositions, requests for production, requests for admission, and interrogatories – all of which take time and money. Going to court for hearings also means more time and money.

It isn’t always possible to come to an agreement about your divorce to avoid litigation. However, if you do have to go through the legal process, then you will likely pay more for your divorce.

Additional Expert Fees

In some divorce cases, you might need to hire experts to assist with certain aspects of your case. This may include forensic accountants, real estate appraisers, or child psychologists. Depending on the expert and their hourly fee, this could add several thousand dollars to the total cost of your divorce.

Get Help from a Colorado Divorce Lawyer

It isn’t always easy – or possible – to keep costs down in a divorce. A seasoned Colorado divorce attorney can help. Using both negotiation and litigation skills, your lawyer may help you resolve your case in a way that is both favorable to you and that costs you less money. When necessary, they can take your case to trial to protect your interests.

Ascent Legal Group represents clients in a range of Colorado family law matters, including divorce.  We are open and transparent about costs and will work with our clients to keep expenses low whenever possible. To learn more or to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a Colorado Springs divorce lawyer, give us a call at 719-256-0067 or fill out our online contact form.