There’s this saying I’ve borrowed many times that goes like this, “Marriage is grand, but divorce is a hundred grand.” Well, I’m sad to come to the realization that statement not really true.
I’ve always been under the impression that by the time you go through the legal process, divide up everything, and pay any alimony or child support that might be involved that divorce would cost many thousands of dollars. But billboards along the highway have now educated me differently. Several months ago I saw one that advertised divorce for like $299. It was in a very small country town so my initial thought seriously was that’s either a broke lawyer or dumb lawyer that for whatever reason chose to be a lawyer here rather than somewhere with more people.
But then just the other day I saw another billboard that advertised divorce for $499 with an added keyword in the message – “uncontested”. Now it all began to make sense to me. Couples are filing for divorce and as long as it is uncontested the lawyers can just churn through them at a rate that justifies paying for large billboards (not cheap) to advertise those cheap prices.
A few years ago I read an article about how couples were holding off filing for divorce because they either couldn’t afford it while the economy was bad or because they were waiting for the value of their assets to bounce back so that they’d be worth more in divorce. I suppose now that housing is on the rise again and the stock market is moving up again that couples are making their move and calling it quits thus increasing demand for divorce lawyers.
So, if you’re tracking what all I’ve said so far here are…
Three Divorce Business Dynamics Destroying The Institution of Marriage
- Demand for divorce seems to be increasing.
- Lawyers are conducting divorces for very cheap, even incentivizing couples for making it easy.
- Couples are just giving up, not contesting, not fighting for their marriage.
What is going on? Why aren’t couples fighting to save their marriage? Why are lawyers willing to take such low fees for divorce filing? Please lawyers – I’m ok with the cost of divorce being very high. Please raise it! There will still be some divorce cases and fewer cases will actually make the job easier, and if the fee is high enough it will offset the lost opportunity of all the cases that will become saved marriages. There will still be a way to become the stereotypical dirty and greedy lawyer, just without taking down so many peoples lives in the process. Try being the “good” lawyer that gives people an incentive to save their marriage.
Fight people! Marriage is not something you just pay a few hundred bucks to dispose of. Why don’t couples spend a few hundred bucks on counseling first? In fact, I bet most people know someone that loves them enough and wants them to save their marriage that they will pay for the $499 divorce if the couple will try $499 for counseling first. Try something, try ANYTHING before going down to the nearest drive through divorce lawyer.
Please DON’T GIVE UP! Marriage is worth fighting for.
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