Pushing 50 and at the beginning of a divorce in California, 2 kids, boys, 6 & 15. My "stay at home" x really doesn't yet understand or accept I have just about equal custody rights and she needs to be contributing for the finances as we have a separation date we agree on. I have a lawyer assigned to me by my insurance and it would be mostly covered. I met the guy, he seems ok and is along standing criminal attorney who said he's done divorce for about the last 6 years. Odd vibe, I felt like I was in a 50's private investigator's office. A retired from working in a legal office friend is encouraging me to go with another attorney where this is their specialty and thinks I'd get more if I went this route, a family member also separately recommended the same non covered attorney. I'm meeting the second attorney day after tomorrow, I need to file quickly at this point so planning on using that interview to ether call the other guy or tells the non covered attorney I want to file ASAP. So my question is do I chew up more of my and my kids financial nest egg (mostly on the home equity) to get what may be the best possible or go with the covered? I'm not sure how much it matters since a lot of this is formulaic in this no fault 50/50 state? My big worries are #1 the 6yo (she's already making that difficult with me out of the family home about half time and she hovers when I am there, won't leave yet always wants to know when I'll be gone.), #2 she's entitled to the point of thinking I'm going to live with my parents (did I say I'm pushing 50?!) and fund her lifestyle, #3 she's planning on taking the kids out of state for weeks in the middle of all this and #4 I don't want to get screwed over financially, been at the same company for 23years and know I'm going to be paying her a % of my pension until I die and she refuses to get a regular job but has all the ideas about how she can generate an income, including my paycheck. Thanks for reading this far, glad this forum exists, we all need support.