“I ended up having to file and go to court twice, and pay the fees twice, because dipshit just didn’t show up the first time, or send back the paperwork. The second time I threatened to have the papers served at his next gig, while he was on stage, funny how then we were on the same page.”

Yes, it’s that way where I live to. Usually the people who are unhappy that it cost more are the reason it cost more. You don’t want to spend $5K, don’t argue about who gets the Beanie Baby collection.

Sounds more like you picked the wrong attorney.

Very, very rarely do people have a “simple” divorce where they are dissolving a contract.

If you have a “simple divorce” without kids and without any serious issues, you can get it done for under $1K almost anywhere.

As a divorce and probate atty who earns serious $$$ from fixing easily-preventable issues caused by people wanting to DIY with cheap forms, I can say you get what you pay for. Also, when it comes to divorce and death, some things are not fixable.