Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Divorce Could Cost Millions, Take Over A Year To Finalize

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt decided to divorce in 2016, but their proceedings could be very costly and take a very long time. While many celebrity couples experience a six-month divorce period — which is pretty standard in the state of California — the more complicated things are, the longer and more expensive these splits can be.

A new report from Hollywood Life claims that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt could be spending over $6 million to get their divorce finalized.

“The stipulation that [Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt] signed for retired Judge John Ouderkirk says that they will work with him for a year until Dec. 31, 2017, and that seems about right. In these cases, the judge acts as a judge, not a mediator. They are not meeting with him to try and resolve issues as such they will be litigating and he will hear them and make orders,” lawyer and divorce expert Kelly Chang Rickert told Hollywood Life.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have hired two of the top divorce lawyers in the country. That means, of course, that the two will pay. And while they can certainly afford it, the amount of money that the former couple will end up paying is astronomical.

“However, the big plus for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is that this will be done in private with all papers given to him to read and not filed like they are with public judges. It really is a much better way to resolve disputes if you can afford it, however, it comes at a cost. On top of the $450 per hour for Judge Ouderkirk, it also costs up to $1,250 an hour for top lawyers like Laura Wasser (Angelina’s attorney) and Lance Spiegel (Brad’s attorney). They will not be negotiating a flat rate or anything like that and the costs can vary dramatically dependent on the case. It can cost as much as $500,000 a month for the overly litigious cases,” Mr. Rickert added.

Angelina Jolie has fought a hard fight against her soon-to-be ex-husband when it comes to the custody of their six children. Reports indicate that Jolie has been adamant about keeping her brood under her roof and that she has no intention of sharing physical custody with her ex. Some sources have claimed that Jolie has kept the kids away from Pitt and that she has prohibited him from seeing them from time to time.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Angelina Jolie reportedly found herself on the losing end of that game recently. Jolie allegedly wanted to make her ex look bad and didn’t want him to see their kids — but the court reportedly ruled in Pitt’s favor during a recent hearing and granted him secured visitation rights — ones that Jolie couldn’t back out of.

There’s no telling whether or not these rumors are true, mainly because Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently signed a petition to keep their divorce and child custody proceedings under lock and key. The former couple does not want the media knowing what is going on in the courtroom or what the two have mutually agreed (or disagreed) upon.

“The priority for them is to get the divorce settled and the custody issues surrounding their kids sorted out as well,” said lawyer and divorce expert Kelly Chang Rickert. And he’s right. Angelina Jolie needs to make sure her kids don’t suffer.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have to remember that they have six children at the center of all of this and that needs to remain their primary focus now and in the future.

[Featured Image by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images]