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Paying for That Divorce Attorney!
I hope that you have truly taken the time and did your research on what attorney would work best for your divorce. Because once it is all done and the judge makes a ruling, you can't go back and say "I wish I would have hired the other one." You need to have confidence in your divorce attorney and he/she needs to be optimistic that they will be able to defend your best interests. But now we get into something that we really haven't payed much attention to until now... How much is all of this going to cost you?
Just like any other attorney there as some precautions to take to make sure that you don't end up with an unexpected bill that you can't afford. It very important that you discuss fees and expenses with your attorney up front. In fact, you should have it in writing so that you can keep tabs on your expenses as the divorce
Just like any other attorney there as some precautions to take to make sure that you don't end up with an unexpected bill that you can't afford. It very important that you discuss fees and expenses with your attorney up front. In fact, you should have it in writing so that you can keep tabs on your expenses as the divorce
proceeds. Ask for a fee schedule so that later on you won't be shocked by a bill showing $500 worth of filing fees.
There are two ways that attorney's fees work. First there are some that work on a flat fee basis, which means they will do all the work required during your divorce proceedings for one pre-negotiated fee (minus any deposition or filing fees). This is not always your best choice, because you may find that your case doesn't get the amount of attention that it should. Let's face it, divorce attorneys are motivated by money and you are going to get what you paid for. If they are not motivated by the chance of earning more from your case, the divorce attorney (just like most other flat fee attorneys) will only do what is needed... nothing more!
The second option for paying your attorney is by retainer. This involves paying him/her a set amount of money that sort of works like credit. They work on a per hour basis, sometimes $250/hour or higher, and the intial costs are pulled from your retainer. If the retainer is used up then you will be receiving a monthly bill that you will be expected to pay on time. Here's a little warning...the easiest and quickest way to get your divorce attorney to start slacking is to miss your payments. Some attorneys may actually stop working on your case until you catch up on your bill. Despite this issue, hiring a divorce attorney based on a retainer is probably the best route to take. Besides you'll find that most if not all the top divorce attorneys will only work this way.
Also, make sure that you request a monthly statement that has all the expenses itemized. so if you are hit with a unexpected big bill one month because you are making too many unneeded phone calls, then you will know to cut back on these calls in the future. There are always going to be the usual expenses that come with a divorce case, but the extra stuff, the 5 phone calls a day, is what will cause you to end up owing your attorney a lot more than you expected. I will give you some more tips on how to keep your attorney's fees down in the next article on "Dealing with you Divorce Attorney."
There are two ways that attorney's fees work. First there are some that work on a flat fee basis, which means they will do all the work required during your divorce proceedings for one pre-negotiated fee (minus any deposition or filing fees). This is not always your best choice, because you may find that your case doesn't get the amount of attention that it should. Let's face it, divorce attorneys are motivated by money and you are going to get what you paid for. If they are not motivated by the chance of earning more from your case, the divorce attorney (just like most other flat fee attorneys) will only do what is needed... nothing more!
The second option for paying your attorney is by retainer. This involves paying him/her a set amount of money that sort of works like credit. They work on a per hour basis, sometimes $250/hour or higher, and the intial costs are pulled from your retainer. If the retainer is used up then you will be receiving a monthly bill that you will be expected to pay on time. Here's a little warning...the easiest and quickest way to get your divorce attorney to start slacking is to miss your payments. Some attorneys may actually stop working on your case until you catch up on your bill. Despite this issue, hiring a divorce attorney based on a retainer is probably the best route to take. Besides you'll find that most if not all the top divorce attorneys will only work this way.
Also, make sure that you request a monthly statement that has all the expenses itemized. so if you are hit with a unexpected big bill one month because you are making too many unneeded phone calls, then you will know to cut back on these calls in the future. There are always going to be the usual expenses that come with a divorce case, but the extra stuff, the 5 phone calls a day, is what will cause you to end up owing your attorney a lot more than you expected. I will give you some more tips on how to keep your attorney's fees down in the next article on "Dealing with you Divorce Attorney."
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