A common question I get at the beginning of a divorce case is “How much is this going to cost?” My answer is almost always, “It depends. The more contested your case, the longer the case will go on, the more of my time is required, the more expensive it will be. Conversely, the more that you are your spouse are able to communicate and reach agreements, the less of my time will be required, and the less expensive it will be.”
For this reason, then, if you want your case to be over sooner rather than later, and less expensive (and who doesn’t?) it is important that you have some ability to communicate with your soon-to-be ex-spouse. If you and your spouse cannot speak with each other at all, and all communication goes through the lawyers, your case will take much longer to resolve. Pretty soon, the lawyers will find themselves talking about where the parenting time exchange will take place this week (something the parties should be able to figure out on their own) and not the bigger-ticket items the lawyers should be trying to resolve.
The same holds true with the lawyers, as well. I often tell my clients that the more I get along with opposing counsel, and the more I am able to communicate with that person, the better off the client will be. Sometimes clients confuse friendliness towards opposing counsel as a weakness. They shouldn’t. There are some lawyers out there who are just plain difficult to deal with. So much so that I do not even want to pick up the phone and call them. When the lawyers are not capable of speaking with each other in a civil manner, the case has little to no hope of resolving quickly. Having a cordial and professional relationship with the opposing counsel will only help the client out in the end. It will foster constructive, meaningful communication and conversation, which is essential to the settlement of a case.
Contact Beyer & Simonson
If you are facing divorce and any of the divorce-related issues such as spousal maintenance, child support, child custody, property division, or domestic abuse matters, you need our experienced Minneapolis divorce attorneys to help you. Contact Beyer & Simonson in Edina, Minnesota today at (952) 303-6007.