Litigation
Generally speaking, there are primarily 4 ways in which a couple may go about divorcing in the State of Texas.
I shall start with the most expensive method and end with the least costly procedure.
The most expensive way a couple divorces in this state is to litigate all issues between them.
In other words, each spouse has their own attorney and all issues concerning property and children are decided by the Court.
You are familiar with this type of divorce because this is what is generally presented on TV shows where one spouse gives testimony about the other spouse and the more damaging that testimony, the better.
Litigated divorces are highly contentious and very costly. It is also time consuming and can take over a year to get settled. Generally speaking, attorney charge by the hour. And hourly rates range from approximately $150 per hour to $350 per hour or more. It is not uncommon for each spouse to spend $10,000 or more on attorney fees in a highly contentious case.
Most people are unaware that in Dallas County, most cases are referred to mediation before the cases go to trial. Most cases settle in mediation and a trial is not needed. So all the money spent leading up to a trial may not even result in a trial of your case. So think long and hard before deciding that litigation is right for your case.
Sometimes you are forced into litigation. If your spouse refuses one of the other methods to get divorced, you may have no other choice but to litigate.