How Much To Pay ?

Apollo_9238 · 2024-11-20T08:13:25+00:00

M in Denver. Searched around to find a guy who works for men. Lucked out found a one man operation working at home but had an office showed up on Bing. He was $2500 retainer @$200/hr. Ends up wife pulled out once she saw him contest common law part of marriage and cost of affair on my assets.

EconomistVisible2767 · 2024-11-19T21:22:58+00:00

The less cooperative spouse really drives the price. Cost is proportional to piss and vinegar. And kids complicate things a lot (more billable hours, bigger range of dollars).

Per hour on a open ended divorce is pretty much meaningless.

With that said, I paid $350/hr ($25,000 total). I had a good outcome but it was a huge gamble. Luck played a huge role.

No_Pen_3200 · 2024-11-19T19:26:46+00:00

Family lawyers don’t care what you are willing to pay. They know how much money you have. How much you make. They intend to take it all. You don’t have a choice. Once I realized this, that it wasn’t in my control I was at peace with it.

Technical-Mammoth592 · 2024-11-19T15:32:13+00:00

Everyone is giving you pretty good prices. I paid 9k retainer, $400/hr. My "wife" fucked up bad so we might get this settled without evening sitting for mediation. Just sign some agreed upon paperwork and wrap it up. Definitely get a family law/Divorce attorney, not a jack of all trades. You do get what you pay for.

Trip_2 · 2024-11-19T12:26:57+00:00

I think where you live plays a part in it, I live in New York City, and I just paid almost 9k for a retainer.

upvotersfortruth · 2024-11-19T08:35:43+00:00

If there's any complexity or conflict or child custody issues in your case, you should get a family law lawyer, not a generalist. Family courts have different rules and practices than other legal areas.

In terms of finding a family law lawyer, meet with at least three and determine who you can work best with, not who will be your expensive therapist or who you like the most. Remember, the initial consult is a sales pitch - so you need to set expectations regarding communications, responsiveness and then ask them many questions about their fees and how they bill.

If you are in a high conflict divorce, you should get a lawyer who has demonstrable trial experience and then explore their mindset when it comes to settlement. Family law cases simply don't settle when the anger level is high on either or both sides, so there is usually some serious pain. Make sure they don't stoke the fires (i.e. feed into your anger or resentment) as that will bleed you dry.

Reflog1791 · 2024-11-19T05:50:30+00:00

I got paid and free consultations with 10 lawyers. Something like $2500 just to get the lay of the land. My case was complex because of stocks showing up on my W2 and more unvested.

I do not regret getting legal opinions from a variety of sources. Picked the best of the bunch. Turned out to be one with good reviews on Avvo. Closed my divorce in mediation without lawyers present for $10k total legal bills on a $500k marital estate. At mediation I got the deal it was always going to be. I negotiated preferential tax treatment.

Consultations (even paid) are way better than just handing someone $5k. Some of them had no idea how to handle my stocks. I picked bits and pieces from most of them to come up with a winning strategy that I drove. Still had to pay cheating ex out the ass but I optimized it and sleep like a baby and came out smelling like roses.

HerbEverstanks · 2024-11-19T04:33:05+00:00

Maybe I got a cheap one in a high conflict divorce and a judge disbarred from alzheimer's. $3500 retainer. I'm up to 97k and not done yet after 4 and a half years. She is $350 and hour.

Jamescovey · 2024-11-19T04:30:44+00:00

Mine had a 5k retainer. They burn through those quick. Then you pay as you go. Expect to be between 20 and 30k for simple contested.

Moms_Sketti88 · 2024-11-19T04:29:33+00:00

I paid $2500 for a retainer. It’s an ever green retainer, so when work is done, I have to back fill the account back to $2,500. My attorney charges $425 an hour. I chose to hire a senior associate due to my high conflict wife. The junior attorneys at the firm were $300 an hour. Some firms charge more, some charge less. First firm I met with, the guy was extremely apathetic and even stated, “yeah, just let the wife leave the state with the kid, it will save you time and money”. Ugh, wtf. I want to be in my kids life. He charged a $1200 retainer and was $350 an hour. Second firm, the lawyer wanted $7,500 for a retainer and charged $450 an hour. He was cocky and seemed like he was willing to fight, but I also got car salesman vibes. After some research and questions I found out he does divorce, DUI/traffic court, injury, etc. His ratings for divorce litigation were super low. The final firm I picked does divorce and custody cases only. I found decent reviews for the attorney and everyone seemed to point he fights for custody rights and is very reasonable. There have been several times he’s waived fees here and there. Usually it’s emails and he will annotate “courtesy email” on the billing statement and I do appreciate that. At the end of the day they are all out for money and want to get paid. Just try and find one that is somewhere in the middle.

As for billing, I’d say once to sometimes twice a month I get hit with $500-$600 bill. When shit starts piling up I just e-mail him and tell him to pause on my case work so I can get funds back together. I refuse to pull from savings and stack on credit card debt. Wife is getting half the savings anyways, so I don’t touch it.

redragtop99 · 2024-11-19T03:35:43+00:00

My lawyer was $25k to start, worth every fucking penny.

biscuts99 · 2024-11-19T03:05:15+00:00

I talked to 3 before deciding. She charges 300$ an hour in a LCOL area. If you talk to multiples you get a feel for the case/pricing.

probebeta · 2024-11-19T01:31:31+00:00

This is off topic but I'd say have a chat with them first before committing to one. If they promise you too much and aren't being reasonable with what a typical judge would do then it will cost you a lot and you won't get half of it. If they're too "reasonable" it's a bad sign too as they won't fight to get you what you're likely to get. I've tried both extremes, and while the latter still sounds better, I had to do a lot of deal making myself.

Feveronthe · 2024-11-19T01:21:45+00:00

Where do you? In US? What state, near what large city? Hourly Rate: The average hourly rate for divorce lawyers varies significantly depending on your location, attorney’s experience, and the complexity of your case. According to the search results:

National average hourly rate: $270-$312 (2023)
Regional variations:
- High-population states (e.g., New York, California): $397-$384 per hour
- Smaller states (e.g., West Virginia, Maine): $258-$254 per hour

Title	How Much To Pay ?
Author	Appropriate-Hold-923
Upvotes	3
Comments	21
Date	November 19, 2024 1:17 AM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/1gul9x3/how_much_to_pay/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/how-much-to-pay.1536171 https://theredarchive.com/post/1536171

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