AN|R Law: A Negotiated Resolution is proud to support Hello Divorce by helping to raise $2 million in a seed campaign. The company, founded in Oakland, California, provides a SaaS platform that allows divorcing couples to move the process online. Currently, Hello Divorce operates its service in four states: California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah. New York will soon be added to the line-up too. The company plans to use the seed funding to expand its services to more states across America. It also plans to enhance its product by offering new content and service options.
AN|R Law is a law firm that focuses on collaborative divorce and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings in North Carolina with locations in Raleigh, Greenville, Beaufort, and Wilmington. Owner and attorney, Ashley-Nicole Russell, chose to support Hello Divorce’s efforts because she believes it’s important for everyone, no matter what state they live in, to have access to an affordable divorce process that doesn’t involve a courtroom.
“The divorce process can be stressful and expensive, especially when litigation is involved. Through my law firm, we facilitate attorney-led out-of-court resolution proceedings to keep our clients out of a tumultuous litigated experience,” explained Russell. “Legally, my firm can only service law clients in North Carolina; however, our educational reach is greater than that. We are actively spreading information on ways to divorce healthier. Having a resource like Hello Divorce in various states is essential in helping people do that.”
Russell, whose divorce expertise has been featured in Forbes, wrote the book “The Cure for Divorce Culture“ and hosts the “Divorce, Healthy!“ podcast. Through these platforms and various speaking engagements across the country, she is committed to changing the way divorce is handled in the United States. As a child of divorce, she knows the damage that can be done to children when they are exposed to the court system. In addition, she offers guidance to companies that are looking to change their human resources policies to better support their employees who are experiencing separation or divorce.
“We are truly honored to support the work that Hello Divorce is doing to expand opportunities for all Americans to divorce without relying on a courtroom or a judge to make their decisions for them,” added Russell. “The court system is broken and until it is fixed, I believe that it is essential to find better alternatives to traditional divorce, such as collaborative law, mediation, and settlement negotiation.”
Hello Divorce clients pay as little as $99 for a do-it-yourself option or up to an average of $2,000 for legal help along the way to finish their divorce in a third of the time. This online and remote process gives families more time to regroup and thrive. Hello Divorce clients can leverage divorce advisors who help file the correct forms accurately and efficiently, saving clients the stress of re-dos and misfiles. Legal help is always there if needed, as family law experts are available to take calls. Along with the actual divorce process, Hello Divorce also provides free resources and information to its members in an online database platform.
“The legal system is stacked against us,” said Erin Levine, CEO of Hello Divorce. “It’s outdated, confusing, inefficient, and encourages animosity.”
Levine, a family law attorney from California, founded Hello Divorce in 2018. Since then, the company has grown 100 percent year over year, with divorce success rates of 95 percent after starting the process on the platform. In a press release, the company states that approximately half of all marriages will end in divorce, two million people get divorced each year, and approximately $50 billion is spent annually on the entire industry. The announcement of the $2 million raised in seed funding has been featured in various news outlets around the world such as TechCrunch, FinSMEs, Yahoo! News, Reuters, and Geo News.
“Hello Divorce reduces fear and builds trust by hand-holding divorcing spouses through the complicated process without talking down to them,” added Levine. “This results in not only a phenomenally easier legal path, but the opportunity for a healthier, happier next chapter.”
AN|R Law and Ashley-Nicole Russell join other lawyers and legal professionals as funding investors. The campaign has additional support from tech investor CEAS, with additional funds coming from Lightbank; Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures; Gaingels; Jack Newton, CEO and co-founder of Clio; Lisa Stone, WestRiver Group Managing Director, former founder/CEO of BlogHer and CSO/Elevest; and Equity ESQ led by Ed Diab.
“I’m excited to partner with other top-rated attorneys across America as well as influential tech companies, creative minds, and legal innovators,” said Russell. “Together, we can and we will change the way that divorce is handled in our country.”
With this seed round, Hello Divorce plans on rapidly scaling legal filing options across the country, improving its ground-breaking product, and giving consumers more of the content and services they need to feel informed and in control of their divorce process. The company states that it is committed to providing affordable access to justice for divorcing Americans that makes the process clear and transparent. In addition, the company is looking beyond the legal end of marriage to expand its services to help ex-spouses navigate their new financial and parenting realities post-divorce.
“No one should be bankrupted by divorce,” Levine said. “And no one should stay in an unhappy or unhealthy marriage simply because they can’t afford it. The research is clear: Both adults and children fare far better post-divorce when there’s less conflict and uncertainty about finances or relationships. Divorce is not the end of a family — it’s simply a reorganization. And the more education and affordable services we provide, the more we will see our communities thrive.”
You can learn more about Hello Divorce by visiting its website and social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. These digital platforms serve as informative and inspirational resources for those considering divorce and those currently in the process.