[Doug Crf]

Ok my wife filed for divorce.We are on talking terms.I went and retained a lawyer and got a big packet of papers to fill out like all our coumunity property and stuff.We have no kid's together.
So now we are going to try to do this with a paralegal she talked to and to me it sounds like an OK deal.let me explain a little and may I can get some feed back.I gave a lawyer 2000.00 for a retainer and if I cancel using him I would get just about 1250.00 back I think.
Ok here goes the explaining,Ok we are in Califrornia,I make 90 grand a year
She makes like 30 grand a year we have been married 5 1/2 years and as I understand the alimony would be 2 1/4 years cause it would be half the life of the marrige.
It sucks because I no the lawyer's can bring up stuff I would not even think about but if I use mine then she said she is going to get one and then what If I end up paying for hers and mine which could happen and then what if I end up paying more than if we would just do this with the paralegal,that would suck badly.
We wrote up a plan at the paralegal on scrach paper and it sounds pretty good compaired to some of the alimony stories I have heard of but I know every situation is different.
So the paraleagel is going to type everything up and I am going to go look at it.At first I was thinking I am just going to sign it if it is the same as we agreed on but when we were dicussing the stuff on the scratch paper I told my wife that I am going to write up a little contract and have her sign it.
It is going to say that if I sign what the paralegal wrote up I will have the right to have to it looked at in the future and if it is way out of wack from what I think I should be paying then I have the right to get help to see if I am getting ripped off and if so then I would get a lawyer.
I hear so much stuff about if you and your spouse can work it out without lawyers then do it because they will fight and fight and get way too much money out of me.
Then I hear get a lawyer,get a lawyer you must.
This lawyer I retained told me my case would end up costing me about 7000.00 ,Now how could he tell me that? He did not even have any of the paper work.
Our plan is this equity in the house in half I am keeping the house and giving her the half of the equity in cash.
There is a program to figure the alimony from our income differnces
It came to like 1500.00 a month I could have to pay her paralegal said 1600.00 my lawyer said 1500.00 for 2 1/4 years but bouneses on both sides need to be looked at.
I have an IRA that had 20 grand when we got married she can not touch.
It now has 60 grand so she gets 1/2 the 40 grand and we talked and she is going to roll her 20 grand into a roth for her self plus I made a deal with her that if she knocks off 15 grand off the total alimony I would give her another 20 grand of the IRA because I want to get the alimony down as far as I could and if I took out 20 grand in cash I would so penalized and it would get taxed like 40% plus I would get a 10% early withdraw fee.
There is a lot more that would need to be explained.But to give me time with trying to figure if I am getting ripped or not I think the thing I am going to have her sign about being able to get help and reopen the contrac should cover my but pretty good.

So does this sound pretty good or not?
Thanks Doug

[ScottGem]

If the divorce is amicable and you can work out a division of property and alimony agreements without rancor, then you might be able to get by without a lawyer.

I wouldn't advise it, especially in CA, but its possible.

[s_cianci]

I'd stick with the lawyer. You've already paid $2000 so get your money's worth. Hopefully (s)he has extensive experience with divorces.