<human>: Can you condense the text into three sentences or less?

kind of a long story but here goes nothin'...

Separated in DEC of 13, finally divorced in JUN of 14.

When we were married, my wife got into day trading and playing the market. My father is well off and decided to loan her 25 thousand dollars on the claim that she would be using 5 thousand for trading, but the account needed 25 total to do actual day trading, and it was not a "gift." It was a loan, and she knew that.

After the split up, she held onto the money, claiming that she was using it as a playing card to make sure she got a car and other stuff from the divorce, so my lawyer wrote into the divorce agreement a line stating that she was assuming full responsibility for the 25 thousand loan.

After we were officially divorced she said she didn't have the money, and surrendered the car she was awarded in the divorce to my father.
Ended up selling that for 8 thousand, so she owes 17 thousand now.

It's been 6 months now since our divorce, and she has ignored all attempts from my father and I on the subject. Have left a few messages with a couple attorneys today, waiting on calls back from them. But I'm just wondering if there's 
a cheaper route for us to take.
<bot>: Ex wife hasn't paid my father yet 6 mos after divorce, is there any way to collect without an attorney involved?