 TITLE: Can I Pay for a Divorce With a Personal Loan? CONTENT: Other Ways to Finance Your Divorce\n----------------------------------\nIf you want to avoid taking out a personal loan for your divorce costs, you may have other options. You can:\n*   **Ask for an attorney payment plan.** When you hire a divorce lawyer, ask if they offer any sort of payment plan you can use to pay your fee over time to avoid coughing up one lump sum or hefty retainer. Some lawyers may be willing to work with you on this.\n*   **Get a court order.** By default, you're obligated to pay your own attorney and court fees. But before you take out a loan, see if your lawyer will petition the court to require your spouse to cover your legal fees instead. This petition is more likely to succeed if your spouse earns much more money than you or financially supported you, and could go through if they unnecessarily drag out litigation. If it doesn't look like a petition will be granted, you could try to obtain a court order that will let you liquidate your share of assets to pay attorney's fees and court costs.\n*   **Borrow from family and friends.** If you don't need a substantial amount of money to cover divorce fees, you could consider asking to borrow money from a family member or close friend. If you go this route, draw up a written loan agreement that states the terms of borrowing and repayment. Make sure the person knows when they'll be repaid, and how much interest you'll pay them (if any), and they may feel more comfortable lending you money.\n*   **Opt for an uncontested divorce.** A contested divorce, especially one that goes to trial, costs a boatload in legal fees. The uncontested divorce route isn't possible for everyone since it requires agreement between the two parties, but it can make the divorce far less expensive. Uncontested divorces, since they don't require the same amount of legal maneuvering, are generally much cheaper and wrap up much more quickly than contested divorces. You can even do the legal paperwork yourself in an uncontested divorce rather than hiring a lawyer, which could eliminate or severely reduce the need to borrow money to pay for a divorce. Other options include collaborative divorce or mediated divorce, which are less adversarial and could save you on court costs. END