Costs of Divorce 

Depending upon the county your action is filed in, you may be required to attend mandatory mediation in a case. While this process is discussed more in our section "alternatives to trial," you should be aware that the mediators fees are in addition to your attorney fees and fees vary greatly and can range from $200-400 an hour. Fees for the mediator are usually equally split by the parties and often most mediation sessions take at least four to six hours. In some cases multiple sessions maybe necessary to resolve matters related to your case.

The need for experts in your divorce matter depends greatly on the issues of your case. You may also be required to pay costs related to any necessary experts consulted during your case. Experts may be used to provide testimony concerning child psychology, mental and physical abuse, valuations of businesses or personal property, appraisals of real estate, and/or forensic accounting reports. Additionally, independent custody evaluators may be hired to perform a custody study or vocational experts may be necessary to determine what financial support is necessary and what a party is capable of earning. Be aware that many experts will charge by the hour similar to how attorneys bill.

If a case goes to a deposition, hearing, or final trial, court reporter fees may apply in addition to attorney's fees, as well as fees associated with subpoenas and witness fees. Court reporter's fees can be especially confusing to people not familiar with the legal system because you pay for a court reporters time just to "take down" what is being said and then you pay an additional (usually a per page fee) for the transcript of what was said if you need to order the transcript. These costs obviously vary based upon the length of time spent by the court reporter (both taking down what was said and the length of the actual transcript) and can range greatly from a few hundred dollars for a takedown only at a short hearing to in excess of a thousand dollars for ordering a transcript of an all-day deposition.

If you have minor children, most counties require both parents to attend a mandatory seminar regarding the impact of divorce on children. In most areas, the cost of this seminar is around $50.00. For more information concerning the mandatory parenting seminar in your county, see our article entitled "Parenting Seminar."

Beyond attorney's fees, there maybe additional costs that are associated with your case, such as: copying, mileage and travel expenses, postage, and parking fees.

Although it is true that contested divorce actions can become costly for both parties involved, there are certain steps that may be taken to lower the costs of Georgia divorce. One of those steps or alternatives is uncontested divorce. Uncontested divorce is where both parties agree on how all aspects of the divorce will be resolved. Uncontested divorce is. cheaper than contested divorce because it takes much less time to prepare and finalize.