Getting a cheap divorce is easy, if you and your spouse cooperate.*  However, if you and your spouse fight about custody and/or money, your divorce will be expensive.

Cooperation is the key to a cheap divorce

Cooperating during the divorce does not require you and your spouse to like each other.  Even if you have nothing else in common, a shared distaste for spending your money on lawyer fees will help a lot.

Be nice and play nice

Being nice does not require you to like your spouse. However, being nice will help keep your spouse nice during this process. Just think of all the other people you have been nice to, without liking them. Like the officer that pulled you over. Or the annoying mother of your best friend.

Mostly, playing nice means that you will not be greedy. You may even consider being a bit generous. This is especially important if you live in a smaller community, where you are likely to run into your ex and your ex’s friends and family in the future.

If you want to badmouth your spouse, and/or stick it to them, then you can kiss your cheap divorce good bye.

Do the divorce together

You and your spouse probably enjoyed doing things together at some point. That is probably one of the reasons you got married.

Do this last thing together.

Pick up the divorce form packet, and go someplace where your can fill them out together. The library might be a good spot. There are large tables where you can sit across from each other. You also need to speak quietly, so there is less of a chance for an argument. They may even have a Notary.

Fill out all the forms, and sign everything at the same time. If you are at the library, you can make all the copies you need for filing.

File your paperwork and pay the filing fee

Take all the originals and copies of your paperwork  to the courthouse for filing. The filing fee is something that you will almost certainly have to pay.

In some states, you can file an application for waiver of the filing fee. However, this will delay your divorce, because the the Judge will have to rule on your application before you can file your complaint for divorce.

So there you have it. You can get a cheap divorce if you and your spouse cooperate. You can use the free court forms, and all you will have to pay is the filing fee. You may even get a free divorce, if the Judge waives the filing fee!

By Steve Harton

Steve is a family law attorney in Wyoming. If you need help with your Wyoming divorce, please give him a call at 307-382-5545.

*A (relatively) cheap divorce is also possible if your spouse has taken off, left the state and is difficult to find.