Research Outline

Divorce Industry in the US

Goals

Provide information surrounding the divorce industry in the US.
  • Specifically, provide top US companies that assist with the divorce process with detailed information on their solution and business models.
  • Provide the market opportunity in this space in the US.
  • Provide the average time and cost of the divorce.
  • Include the major struggles experienced by divorcing spouses during the process.
  • Provide any additional useful information related to the divorce industry in the US.

Early Findings

Data Availability

The initial round of research suggests that data is available on most of the requested topics. It is limited around the market leaders in divorce services.

Duration and Cost of a Divorce
  • According to a survey by Nolo, the average duration of a divorce in the US is 12 months.
  • However, 39% of respondents divorced in under six months, while for 13%, the process took more than 24 months.
  • The same survey found that the average cost of a divorce is about $12,780, including $11,300 for a lawyer and $1,480 for other expenses.
  • The median cost is approximately $7,500, including $7,000 for a lawyer and $500 for other expenses.
  • However, USA Today notes that the average divorce cost can vary greatly depending on the state, ranging from $8,400 in Montana to $17,500 in California (for a divorce without children).
Market Opportunity
  • In 2019, there were about 750,000 divorces in the US.
  • Multiple sources state that the divorce industry is worth $50 billion. However, none of them include a report or methodology to support the figure.
  • According to Investopedia, online solutions for the divorce process are gaining traction because they tend to be less expensive.
Struggles Related to the Divorce Process
  • The top financial issues include dividing property, dividing debts, multiple tax implications, and dividing retirement assets.
  • Other struggles are having to manage a massive number of documents and the length of the divorce process.
Market Leaders in the Divorce Industry
  • According to Investopedia, LegalZoom is the market leader in online divorce thanks to "a streamlined site, easy-to-navigate process, and accessible support." The company charges $499 for preparing divorce forms and instructing how to file them.
  • Hello Divorce has recently raised $2 million in funding and has experienced significant growth since 2018. It also attracted a lot of media attention, including articles in TechCrunch, The Independent, Stanford Law School, and ABA Journal.
  • The company offers an affordable, intuitive platform to facilitate divorce proceedings. So far, it is available in California, Utah, Texas, and Colorado.
  • It has several pricing plans, ranging from $20 to $700 per month or from $99 to $4,500 as a one-time fee.

Summary

  • Within the first hour, we were able to provide the average duration and cost of a divorce, as well as initial findings related to the market opportunity for comprehensive divorce services, struggles related to the divorce process, and market leaders in the space.
  • We recommend continuing the research to provide further insights on market opportunity, issues in the divorce process, and companies in the space.
  • Based on the presearch, it is not possible to clearly determine market leaders. There are no comprehensive market reports or overviews that would compare companies against each other. At the same time, since most of the businesses in the space are private, financial data is limited. We propose finding some of the top companies in the space, based on media reputation or a similar metric.
  • Please note that we made an assumption related to the last question, i.e., "What are the main smugglings in the process for the divorce couples?" Specifically, we've assumed that "smugglings" was a typo, and we should aim for providing typical struggles instead. If our assumption is incorrect, a clarification regarding the definition would be necessary.