Clients frequently ask me how much their case is going to cost. This is a legitimate question. Even if I am not asked this question, I will address it with them so that they have some idea as to what things can influence the cost of their divorce and why an estimate is often incorrect. Because of the nature of divorce, it is virtually impossible to forecast the outcome of negotiations or trial, or to predict what the total cost might be. There are many factors over which I have no control. The costs may be greatly affected by the attitude and position your spouse takes, the advice given to your spouse by his or her attorney, and even by who your judge is, since judges will assess credibility differently, decide the facts differently and even apply the law differently due to the discretion given to them by law. Sometimes complex or high conflict cases can be simplified and become less costly. Sometimes what appears to be a simple case, becomes a battle ground over little things because of the attitude and emotions of one or both spouses. Combining high emotions with complicated issues is a recipe for high costs. Yet, itIt has been my experience that what may in many cases be more easily accomplished can be made much more costly by the attitude of you or your spouse. Your attorney can help you reduce costs in many cases by advising you about what is worth fighting about and what is not worth fighting about based on likely outcome.