Fees

Divorce can be one of the most expensive and important financial events in your life. I understand that few people can afford to litigate in family court. To help clients pursue their legal interests in family court, I offer a low retainer fee payable by credit card and charge an affordable hourly rate.

$4,500 Retainer Fee

Nearly all divorce attorneys charge a retainer fee.  A retainer fee functions as a security deposit.  It’s held by the attorney to secure payment for future work.  When the attorney later performs work and bills their client by the hour as reflected on a monthly invoice, they will deduct that amount from the retainer fee.  When the retainer is depleted, the client will receive an invoice to replenish it.  

My retainer fee is typically $4,500. That secures over a dozen hours of my time to work on your case.

$350 Per Hour

Most clients don’t want to pay their divorce attorney by the hour, but unfortunately, hourly billing is the standard in contested cases. In hourly billing, the client pays a retainer fee, which the attorney bills against as they work on the case. The client will receive monthly statements showing which tasks the attorney performed, how much time was spent on each task, and how much was billed at the attorney’s hourly rate. As the divorce attorney continues to work on the client’s case, the retainer balance may be depleted through hourly billing, at which time the client will make another payment to replenish the retainer.

I understand that hourly billing can be unpredictable and costly for my clients at a time when their financial future may depend heavily upon effective legal representation. To help clients protect their legal interests, I charge an affordable hourly rate of $350 per hour and accept credit card payments.

Why I Usually Don’t Offer Flat Fees

Nearly everyone wants to hire a divorce attorney for a flat fee, but in only a few circumstances is this advisable. The typical flat-fee case involves a short marriage, no children, cooperation between the parties, and few assets. When these circumstances exist, a flat-fee arrangement can be beneficial as long as there is no ongoing disagreement between the parties.

I used to offer limited-scope representation in uncontested divorce cases.  My flat fee covered all preparation necessary to finalize an uncontested divorce. Specifically, I prepared the petition, summons, schedule of assets and debts, income and expense declarations, declaration of disclosure, declaration regarding service of declaration of disclosure, declaration under UCCJEA, and judgment documents.

In 2022, I stopped offering flat fees for limited-scope representation in most cases. Over time, I found that parties encountered some level of disagreement throughout the process and are better served by retaining separate counsel. Specifically, both parties have questions and need individual guidance throughout the process, and sometimes one party is not well suited to negotiate on their own behalf. Accordingly, even in uncontested cases, I now charge an hourly rate to better represent the interests of one party, my individual client.