Can Divorce Be Affordable? Yes, but Only if Spouses Want It to Be.

If there is an easy point of agreement in the emotional upheaval of divorce, it is that endless legal battles can break the bank.

“I say to my clients all the time: You’re making the biggest legal and financial decisions of your life in the middle of the worst moment,” said Kate Anthony, who produces a podcast called “The Divorce Survival Guide” and who has trained to work with couples in high-conflict marriages and those involving domestic violence.

Choosing to immediately “lawyer up” — often a default choice — “is one of the worst things you can do,” she added. “The family court system loves a divorce. That’s how they make their money, off the rage and bitterness.”

But there are ways to reduce the stress and expense of ending a marriage. In this excellent article, Caitlin Kelly explains how using a document service (ideally reviewed by a lawyer), mediation and collaborative divorce can reduce the stress and expense of ending a marriage.