Although there are not many things that ex-spouses can agree on, there is one fact that most, if not all, former spouses do agree on: The divorce process can be expensive.

From many years of practical experience, one of the most common questions people ask their attorney is, "How much is this divorce going to cost?" Although different attorneys will approach this answer in many different ways, for any contested divorce, the honest answer is very difficult to determine the total costs of divorce up front. 

The reason why an attorney cannot provide an accurate estimate up front is many factors contribute to the legal costs and fees associated with a divorce case are outside you or your attorney’s control and sometimes arise unexpectedly.  For example, the litigation plan may call for more depositions and discovery than normal.  Some parties may need to hire private investigators and/or forensic accountants to help look for hidden assets to ensure full dissclosure and divison of assets.  Sometimes custody disputes rise to such a level that both parties feel the need to bring in additional experts to help their case.  The reasons go on and on.

Although providing an accurate estimate of all costs up front is not possible, anyone considering divorce should be familiar with the typical costs associated with a contested divorce.

Court Costs

A filing fee must be paid to the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the divorce case is initiated. Each county can set its own filing fee, within certain limits. Currently, the average filing fee in metro Atlanta ranges from $200.00 to $221.00.  Below you will find a list of the filing fees charged by the Clerk of Court in some of the metro Atlanta counties as of April 2016:

Please contact the Clerk of Court for your county to get the most up to date pricing as it is subject to change.