Divorce is an arduous and costly, both financially and emotionally, process.  According to several lawyers, the average expense expected from both parties for a divorce is around $20,000 to $30,000. Most of the money goes straight to the lawyers; the longer the divorce drags on the more cash is drained from your bank account.  Here are a few sound advices you can ponder on if you're want your divorce to with as few casualties as possible:Communicate.  One of the main reasons why divorce takes such a long time to finalize is lack of communication.  Most of the time, the lawyers from both parties are the ones doing the talking.  While that may seem wise, especially if you want the settlement in your favor, the negotiation must happen between spouses.  According to several attorneys, it is up to the spouses whether the divorce will be messy or smooth.  Talk to your spouse but make sure both of you keeps your conversation as civilized as possible so that you can work on an agreeable settlement.  Provide all the necessary Information.  Communication is also important between lawyer and client.  You must disclose all necessary information to your lawyer.  You will save hundreds of dollars by providing all necessary documents for the start, instead of paying for legal action to get it.  Present all your financial documents as early as possible to save time. Be fair.  Do not be hung up on how much you'll get out of your divorce.  A fair split is still the best.  Don't try to one-up your spouse but getting the lion's share of your finances.  Again, communication is important between spouses.  Talk to each other and decide who gets who without thinking which of you is getting the better deal.  Fix Your Joint Finances.  Do this as quickly as possible.  Your spouse's debts might as well become yours; untangle your joint finances to prevent paying for spouse.  This might also spell trouble for your financial future if your spouse commits a financial fraud or suddenly goes bankrupt.  It won't matter who was individually responsible for it; both your names are taken as one.Agree on things before hiring attorneys.  Prevention is better than cure.  Before hiring attorneys, you and your spouse should agree on a lot of things.  This prevents the divorce proceedings from dragging on.  Every single minute spent by your lawyers involving your divorce is being paid for: drawing petitions, filing them to the clerk, every phone call between you and your attorney and every phone call your attorney makes concerning your case; the cost for all that activity is charged on you. You better make every necessary step to make your divorce case reach to a conclusion in the shortest amount of time.
The only real way to cut down the cost of divorce is to go through it as quickly as possible.  The only people benefitting from a long and messy divorce are the lawyers; not you, your ex spouse or your kids, but your lawyers.