Reply to How much does a contested divorce actually cost?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]$250k in Maryland so far. I have no idea what ex-w has paid but it's less than that. Her only offer was 0/100, but in the end I got 50/50 kids and assets but had to fight over ever bit of it.

A friend of mine had a divorce in Maryland just like OP's. The legal fees were not very expensive because he offered her a huge bribe--an upfront settlement plus generous child support and alimony--to accept 50-50. His lawyer told her lawyer, "take it or leave it, if you don't accept this generous  offer we'll spend the next two years in court." He got to keep the house, and paid her half of the equity, and they stayed out of court.

It was interesting that she was willing to "sell off" time with her children for cash. When the kids got older they chose to only live with their dad. 
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This is a very weird post. The law says (barring special cases) that custody and assets are to be split 50-50. So your divorce was expensive because your wife was demanding more than the law provides, not because of some kind of special circumstances. In your friends case, the opening offer was not a “bribe” but was a reasonable offer based on what a judge would decide. The mom in that scenario did not “sell off” her kids for cash. She accepted an offer on custody and assets that reflected what a judge would decide. [/quote]
In Maryland (which everyone in this reply chain is talking about), assets are not "to be split 50-50."  Maryland is an "equitable distribution" state, which means the judge can distribute assets in any way they think is fair.  That may normally be 50-50, but there's nothing in Maryland law that says there needs to be a 50-50 split.  Likewise, there's no law in Maryland that says custody has to be split 50-50.  Instead, like many states, Maryland courts decide custody matters based on the "best interests" of the child.  Again, the best interests of the child might be a 50-50 split, but it might not.

You're not wrong that the court outcome is likely to be a 50-50 split unless there are special circumstances, and that an expensive fight that results in a 50-50 split probably would have resulted in a 50-50 split without an expensive fight.  But that's not because the law (in Maryland) requires a 50-50 split.

Sources:
https://www.peoples-law.org/property-disposition-divorce
https://www.peoples-law.org/child-custody-maryland
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