Avvo Survey Reveals Anxiety about Cost is a Top Concern of Individuals Facing Divorce

SEATTLE, Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Concerns about the cost of a divorce weigh heavily on the minds of people facing a divorce, including whether or not to hire an attorney, and in the decision of who to hire, according to a new Avvo Divorce Study*. Fifty-eight percent of individuals without children cite cost as their top concern going into the divorce ahead of concerns about property division (42 percent), time the divorce will take (27 percent) or alimony (22 percent).  For individuals with children, cost is second to custody concerns (53 percent vs. 35 percent), but it remained the top factor cited as to why they ultimately chose to hire their specific attorney. 

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A majority of consumers (65 percent) either hired or plan to hire an attorney to help them navigate their divorce, while 35 percent either go it alone or utilize a DIY service – citing cost as the primary reason.  However, DIY isn't a cost savings panacea as 10 percent of attorneys in the survey cite cleaning up consumers' DIY divorce efforts as a new source of business.

"Given that the average divorce costs $15,000, it's no wonder that cost is a key factor for individuals facing divorce, however we were surprised at how significant a concern it is, and that it largely cuts across all income levels," said Leigh McMillan, vice president of marketing, Avvo, Inc.  "However, as with other high consideration purchases, cost is not the only factor; consumers weigh a number of factors, including experience, personality and recommendations, in deciding which attorney to hire.  However, there is an opportunity for divorce attorneys to reduce cost concerns through education, communication and transparency."

The number of consumers who find their divorce attorney online continues to grow 

The survey also showed consumers are increasingly going online to find their attorney. Survey respondents who divorced in the past year were 40 percent more likely to have found their attorney online vs. those who divorced more than one year ago. 

To reduce legal fear and friction, Avvo developed the Avvo Legal Marketplace where consumers receive proposals from multiple attorneys, for free, which include personalized information on fees and approach to the case, the attorney's Avvo Rating, and client and peer reviews. To date, more than 10,000 divorce, DUI and traffic ticket cases have been submitted. In addition, Avvo offers a series of free Divorce Survival Guides featuring information and strategies from experienced divorce attorneys. 

About Avvo, Inc.
Avvo.com is the web's largest legal Q&A forum, directory and legal marketplace (http://www.avvo.com), providing trusted and free answers to consumer legal questions every 8.3 seconds.  Founded in 2007, Avvo is privately held with funding from Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures.

*The Avvo Divorce Study survey was sent to Avvo divorce users who registered in the past year and all registered family law attorneys via Survey Monkey in June 2013, resulting in 890 completed consumer and 447 attorney surveys, respectively. 

SOURCE Avvo, Inc.