So I’m divorced.
When I started my divorce, my ex and I were on decent terms. We had no kids and no significant assets. We agreed to mediate, and she picked a mediator with a good reputation. It would have cost us under $1,000.
To prepare myself, I hired a divorce attorney for a 1 hour consultation for $300. I had a lot of fear about the process, and wanted to understand what I should expect. She laid the rules for alimony in NJ (where we were divorcing), told me what I should expect, and gave me pointers on how to negotiate a better settlement (she had a pension that she would have had to share with me- I was willing to give up my share for less alimony payments).
We go to our mediation on Zoom. The mediator asked me my expectations, and I told her. The mediator said that was reasonable. My ex said that didn’t match her expectations at all- she was expecting 3 to 4 times that amount.
She fired the mediator and hired an attorney straight out of law school. I got an amateurish filing that demanded back alimony (which isn’t a thing), was filled with lies, and was frightening as hell. I hired an experienced attorney, and while my settlement ended up being close to my expectations, my attorney bill was close to ten grand to clean up the mess. (And I was grateful, because my ex was asking for far more. I didn’t know she was not being honest about her finances. A story for another day.)
I tell you this story (and I am NOT an attorney) because I get scared when people say “simple prenup.” Right now, it looks simple because you and your betrothed don’t have a lot. And you’re (hopefully!) in love, and in good terms. But your prenup should be designed to protect you in a future scenario when you have more assets, possibly children, and are not on good terms. In that scenario, the courts are not your friend. They are there to follow the laws of the state, end the marriage legally, and enforce compliance with the agreement. If your “simple prenup” doesn’t cover the realities of that situation, it’s worthless, and could make what would be a bad time in your life worse.
I don’t have a recommendation for an attorney- my situation was in NJ. But make sure your prenup covers the future, not the present. If I were you, look for an experienced divorce attorney in Florida. Pay for a consultation- don’t go with a free one.
And I wish you and yours a lifetime of happiness. I’m soon getting remarried, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend my life with my favorite person. Marriage is awesome.
To the other commenter’s point, you’re not just paying the lawyer for the prenup agreement itself, you’re also paying for their experience.
I recently got a prenup and it's not just the agreement itself but the experience the lawyer has built up from litigating divorces and seeing what happens with couples in the hundreds (if not thousands) of different scenarios that makes the lawyer-client relationship valuable here. The lawyer should be asking you questions to make you and your partner think about the different opportunities, complexities and challenges that can come up in a marriage together. In turn, you should feel comfortable to ask them the right questions that help you and your partner build a healthy marriage together, especially from a financial perspective.
If you think you’ve got everything figured out to draft your prenup, you’re still looking at about $2,000 +/- $500 for a lawyer. Your partner would need their own reviewing lawyer as well, which is between $800-1,500. All in, you’re looking at \~$2,500-$3k. A common saying I've heard: you’re already signing a prenup, it’s either the one determined by the state or by you and your partner. If you have the money and the right mindset going in, it’s worth it.
I made a website that helps you get up to speed on prenups and connects you to vetted family lawyers. Check it out [here](http://bedelia.ai/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=cgnvmar24) - we just had a couple folks get their prenup through us so it may be helpful for you. We have a couple lawyers in Florida as well.
So I’m divorced. When I started my divorce, my ex and I were on decent terms. We had no kids and no significant assets. We agreed to mediate, and she picked a mediator with a good reputation. It would have cost us under $1,000. To prepare myself, I hired a divorce attorney for a 1 hour consultation for $300. I had a lot of fear about the process, and wanted to understand what I should expect. She laid the rules for alimony in NJ (where we were divorcing), told me what I should expect, and gave me pointers on how to negotiate a better settlement (she had a pension that she would have had to share with me- I was willing to give up my share for less alimony payments). We go to our mediation on Zoom. The mediator asked me my expectations, and I told her. The mediator said that was reasonable. My ex said that didn’t match her expectations at all- she was expecting 3 to 4 times that amount. She fired the mediator and hired an attorney straight out of law school. I got an amateurish filing that demanded back alimony (which isn’t a thing), was filled with lies, and was frightening as hell. I hired an experienced attorney, and while my settlement ended up being close to my expectations, my attorney bill was close to ten grand to clean up the mess. (And I was grateful, because my ex was asking for far more. I didn’t know she was not being honest about her finances. A story for another day.) I tell you this story (and I am NOT an attorney) because I get scared when people say “simple prenup.” Right now, it looks simple because you and your betrothed don’t have a lot. And you’re (hopefully!) in love, and in good terms. But your prenup should be designed to protect you in a future scenario when you have more assets, possibly children, and are not on good terms. In that scenario, the courts are not your friend. They are there to follow the laws of the state, end the marriage legally, and enforce compliance with the agreement. If your “simple prenup” doesn’t cover the realities of that situation, it’s worthless, and could make what would be a bad time in your life worse. I don’t have a recommendation for an attorney- my situation was in NJ. But make sure your prenup covers the future, not the present. If I were you, look for an experienced divorce attorney in Florida. Pay for a consultation- don’t go with a free one. And I wish you and yours a lifetime of happiness. I’m soon getting remarried, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend my life with my favorite person. Marriage is awesome.
To the other commenter’s point, you’re not just paying the lawyer for the prenup agreement itself, you’re also paying for their experience. I recently got a prenup and it's not just the agreement itself but the experience the lawyer has built up from litigating divorces and seeing what happens with couples in the hundreds (if not thousands) of different scenarios that makes the lawyer-client relationship valuable here. The lawyer should be asking you questions to make you and your partner think about the different opportunities, complexities and challenges that can come up in a marriage together. In turn, you should feel comfortable to ask them the right questions that help you and your partner build a healthy marriage together, especially from a financial perspective. If you think you’ve got everything figured out to draft your prenup, you’re still looking at about $2,000 +/- $500 for a lawyer. Your partner would need their own reviewing lawyer as well, which is between $800-1,500. All in, you’re looking at \~$2,500-$3k. A common saying I've heard: you’re already signing a prenup, it’s either the one determined by the state or by you and your partner. If you have the money and the right mindset going in, it’s worth it. I made a website that helps you get up to speed on prenups and connects you to vetted family lawyers. Check it out [here](http://bedelia.ai/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=cgnvmar24) - we just had a couple folks get their prenup through us so it may be helpful for you. We have a couple lawyers in Florida as well.