Unlike a wide majority of family law firms, Divergent will quote all 3 phases of your divorce in advance:
Getting all your ducks in a row for a divorce proceeding to protect your property and interests.
Quoted in advance.
Working with your spouse to sort out issue of contention in your divorce.
Quoted in advance. Possible adjustments.
The most expensive stage of divorce so it is avoided by most couples. Less than 4% of divorces go to trial.
Quoted in advance.
The average cost of a Wisconsin divorce without children in 2025 is $11,300. With children, the average cost of a divorce in Wisconsin is between $16,900 and $30,000 depending on child placement, child support, alimony and property division. Divorces in high-income families or involving business asset divisions can exceed $100,000 in total costs.
The main factors that increase Wisconsin divorce costs are:
The cost of divorce is heavily influenced by shared assets. What you and your spouse own needs to be split fairly—not evenly. Certain factors increase the risk of a high-cost divorce, including:
If you’re exiting a long marriage with a high standard of living, your case is likely to be a contested. There will be a fight, and you will need an attorney. Alimony (called spousal maintenance in Wisconsin) will have a significant impact on how you plan for your financial future.
If you and your partner have children together, getting a divorce will likely be more expensive. The living arrangement of the child will determine who has primary physical placement which impacts child support payments. Wisconsin child support for one child is decided based on the number of kids, how often each parent has the child, and the income of each parent.
Additional children only make the process more costly. It is twice as many decisions and twice as many potential sticking points. Even if you kept all the kids on the same schedule, each one will need different things and have different preferences.
Shared real estate, retirement funds, savings, and other assets can cause a problem for divorce budgets. These divorces can often end up going to trial, where a deep financial analysis is often required. An attorney experienced in high-net-worth divorce is adept at navigating the costly process while keeping your assets intact.
Even if you and your partner come up with an agreement on your own, the court reserves the right to reject it—putting you back at square one. For most people, the risks of divorce without a lawyer outweigh the costs of attorney’s fees. If financing is likely to be an issue, speak with an attorney here at Divergent Family Law to understand what options are available to you such as using marital assets can be used to pay for the divorce.
Under Wisconsin State Statute §767.333, courts have the authority to review and reject marital settlement agreements that are deemed inequitable or contrary to the best interests of the parties or children involved. Even if both spouses reach an agreement on their own, the judge has the final say in approving or modifying the terms.
Even in what starts as a mutually agreeable divorce, frustration and seemingly unfair rulings can quickly turn things sour. On top of the financial burden of divorce, drawn-out and highly emotional proceedings can take a toll on your mental health. Anxiety, frustration, and anger compound the financial cost of divorce, making it difficult to cope with the process.
Our in-depth understanding of divorce proceedings means our lawyers can tell you upfront what the process of divorce will look like for your situation specifically. We know Wisconsin divorce law, we know the legal system, and we know your rights.
Contact Divergent for a free, no-obligation consultation on your divorce in Brookfield, Milwaukee, Glendale, Madison, Appleton, Mequon, Racine, and West Bend.
The average divorce cost in Wisconsin is $11,300, including filing and attorney fees. In reality, actual divorce prices vary depending on a variety of factors ranging from the simplicity/complexity of the divorce to the quality of attorney you want to hire. If the parties are agreeable and no issues arise, the divorce cost could be as little as $3,500. If children are involved, the cost can increase to $17,000-$30,000 depending on child placement, child support, alimony, and property division disputes. The cost for divorce when dealing with high-income families or business asset division can even exceed $30,000.
Wisconsin divorce filing fees vary by county, but the cost of filing for divorce is typically around $200. For example, the Milwaukee County divorce filing fee ranges from $188 to $198 depending on the type of action. In cases involving minor children, it is also common for the courts to require a study about legal custody and physical placement of the children. In Milwaukee, the study costs $300.
The amount of time a divorce takes depends on the type of divorce and the number of contested issues between spouses. The average time it takes to get a divorce finalized in Wisconsin is one year. This includes a 120-day waiting period after service of divorce papers or after the joint petition has been filed with the court. See all the steps of a divorce in Wisconsin for more information.
A mutual divorce or uncontested divorce is when both parties agree on all terms before entering the courtroom, and it is the quickest and easiest form of divorce. Commonly, the mutual divorce cost will range from $3,500 to $25,000, depending on the number and complexity of issues to be presented to the judge.
A “pro se divorce” which literally means “divorce for oneself” is when a person represents themselves in lieu of a lawyer. A pro se divorce is possible in Wisconsin, but typically only when the spouses agree on every issue concerning the divorce including child support and child custody. Other issues that have to be agreed upon to forego traditional divorce lawyers include asset division and alimony. If there are any issues of contentions between parties, divorce mediation is an alternative option for spouses willing to cooperate.
Filing for divorce first has no real benefit in most cases according to attorneys, but occasionally can make a difference. Spouses who plan in advance and select a quality Wisconsin lawyer first have had more time to mentally and emotionally prepare for the divorce process. Filing first also gives you more time to organize your finances and plan for covering the cost of your Wisconsin divorce.
To start a divorce proceeding in Wisconsin, you must be a resident of the state of Wisconsin for at least 6 months. You also have to be a resident of your county for 1 month before filing. If you decide to file for divorce alone, you need to serve your spouse divorce papers and submit proof that papers have been served to the court. Once you have filed, there is a mandatory 120-day waiting period.
Depending on whether you have a private process server or the local police department serve the papers, you could expect to pay anywhere from $50-$200.
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