California Is Named the Most Expensive State to Get a Divorce in America

Expensive fees and processing requirements are causing Californians to spend 8% of their annual income when filing for dissolution of marriage.

Los Angeles, CA., May 21, 2024: California has been named the costliest state for divorce in 2024. While California has consistently ranked among the most expensive states for divorce for the past decade, a number of factors have caused divorce costs in California to skyrocket in recent years. Increasing costs make dissolving a marriage in the Golden State cost nearly double compared to divorces in low-cost divorce states that include Kansas, Nebraska, Mississippi, Georgia, and Ohio. In fact, Californians seeking to legally dissolve their marriages can expect to pay just over 8% of their annual household income by the end of the process.

Untenable divorce costs have caused many couples seeking marriage dissolution to look for ways to cut legal costs when divorcing in California. One approach that more and more couples are embracing in an effort to avoid hefty legal fees is divorce mediation. Divorce mediation is commonly used in situations of uncontested divorce where the couple cannot reach a consensus on specific issues. However, it is also used frequently when couples wish to stay out of the court system in high-conflict divorces.

“We’ve seen an increase in couples seeking out mediation as a way to control costs while also maintaining better control of the outcome instead of leaving life-changing financial and family decisions up to a judge,” shares Steven Unruh, a psychotherapist a divorce mediator in Pasadena, Westlake Village, and Fullerton. Mediators are different from arbitrators because they do not make rulings or impose penalties.

The role of a mediator is to educate, guide and foster the negotiating process, providing intelligent and practical solutions for every aspect of your divorce. A trained mediator is able to assist you in negotiating pensions, properties, assets, alimony, custody issues, and parenting plans. Benefits of divorce mediation in California include:

Lower Cost: In general, mediated divorces are significantly less expensive compared to litigated divorces.
Expediency: Mediation can be a much faster path to finalizing a divorce because there is no need to schedule multiple court dates.
Better for Mental Health: A mediated divorce can generally be more amicable compared to a litigated divorce. This lack of contention can reduce stress for both parties. When children are involved, reaching a settlement agreement with less acrimony can help to decrease tensions and stress that can adversely affect the whole family.
More Control Over the Outcome: Many couples find that they are happier with the outcomes of mediation compared to litigated divorce because they feel that they have more control over the future of their family life and finances. While some degree of compromise is required when mediating a divorce, mediation allows a couple to be in control instead of placing very personal decisions in the hands of a judge.

About Unruh Mediation

Steven Unruh is a divorce mediator specializing in marital conflict and family crisis. He is a 30-year licensed psychotherapist with training through the City Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles, a long history of mediation experience, and extensive knowledge of family law.