To view this, you need to install the Flash Player 5. Please go to here and download it.

Practice Areas

• Divorce and Separation
• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Restraining Orders
• Adoption
• GLBT Partners & Parents
• Marital Agreements

Divorce Booklet

Quick Contact

Fees

Family law proceedings are expensive. Competent representation will cost you money, and you will have to pay that money in exchange for your best possible outcome, but without any specific guarantees about what that outcome will look like. It simply is not possible for an attorney to guarantee any outcome, and that is understandably frustrating for those trying to determine if hiring an attorney makes sense. It does. But it can be hard to understand why without a good understanding of what lies ahead.

Some of the money you spend on attorney fees and court costs may be recoverable from the other side later if they abuse the process or file frivolous, groundless or vexatious claims and motions. Depending on the financial circumstances of the parties, the court may require a distribution of fees and costs between parties later in the case, or may not. Both sides take a risk of being required to pay some of the opposing party's fees and costs in domestic cases.

Value of Legal Counsel - How I Bill Fees

My fees are competitive and in line with those of other attorneys who specialize in family law. In fact, my hourly rates are lower than many. I am not the cheapest attorney available, and I have no interest in trying to be. I will not engage in any race to the bottom in either services provided or the value of those services. My clients rarely dispute my fees, because I hold attorney-client communication to be of central importance to our relationship, and fees are discussed very thoroughly before any agreement is ever signed. Should you choose to hire me, and should I choose to accept your case, you will have a full understanding of how and why I charge the fees I do, what you are getting, and some of the things you can do to reduce your overall legal fees.

I fully understand each client's desire to stay informed of their legal fees. At the beginning of each case, my clients pay a retainer based on the complexity and anticipated time commitment of the case. The retainer is intended to cover initial work on the case, and is held in a trust account, which I withdraw from as the funds are earned. I earn fees at an hourly rate and remove them from the retainer funds as they are earned. Each month all clients receive an invoice which details the work that was done, who did it, how long it took, and what the client was billed for that work. When the retainer has been depleted, the client is asked to replenish it. Clients are always welcome to discuss any bill item with me personally at no charge to them.

Controlling Fees

In most family law cases, collaboration between parties reduces fees and costs. The more contentious the divorce, the more expensive. Division of assets and parenting time are two easy examples of where proceedings can get very expensive quickly. Those who are unable to communicate or negotiate effectively with the other side will face mounting costs as negotiations go longer, fail, and the courts make your decisions for you. Accordingly, successful negotiation can make a big difference to both a satisfactory outcome and lower attorney fees. However, successful negotiation does not mean simply rolling over on ever issue in an effort to keep fees under control. Your attorney can help you let go of the less important issues, and take a stronger stand on matters that will have a greater impact on your future.

Opposing Pro Se Parties

Pro Se means unrepresented. If you are opposing a party with no attorney, your fees may be slightly higher than they would be if both sides were represented. There certainly may be advantages to having an attorney when the other side does not. Attorneys are trained legal fighters who can identify and leverage advantages or vulnerabilities that others may not even notice. However, when the other side attempts the do-it-yourself approach, you can expect your attorney to spend more time negotiating and informing the other side of procedural requirements. Your attorney will not assist the other side in any material way, but may be required to educate the other side quite a bit to keep the case moving forward for you.

If you have questions about legal fees and how best to control them, call (720) 201-3802 and speak to a family law attorney, or submit your question directly to an attorney by clicking here