The Best Cost for a Family Lawyer / Divorce Lawyer

If you are separating or divorcing and you have begun your search for a family law lawyer, you may have experienced some sticker shock. Hourly rates for family law lawyers can be daunting, so you will benefit from some advice to make your family law dollar go further for you.

Here are some useful tips from an experienced divorce lawyer as to how to get the best bang for your buck when selecting a family law lawyer.

Hourly Rate

First, remember that the hourly rate is just the tip of the iceberg in assessing value. You may be inclined to call around to various family law firms and select the divorce lawyer who offers the lowest hourly rate. Instead, keep in mind that hourly rates are generally an indicator of the level of experience and skill that a lawyer can bring to the table. Depending on the nature of your case, you want to be careful about simply going with the cheapest rate. It may be reasonable to retain inexperienced counsel for very simple cases. However, what divorcing or separating clients perceive to be simple can be much more involved than they understand. The time and expense wasted by inexperienced counsel; the financial fall-out from a bad outcome; or the need to incur future cost to remedy poor results, can be more costly than simply choosing a skilled, experienced family law lawyer at the outset. Most established family law firms will offer a selection of lawyers, at a range of hourly rates and experience. The family law firm with whom you consult should help you to tailor your selection to your needs and means.

Superior Non-Court Options for Resolution

In assessing whether a divorce lawyer is a good fit for you, you must evaluate whether he or she will consider your unique goals – financial and otherwise – and tailor his/her services to your goals.

• Do you want a low conflict resolution?
• Are your children your very first priority?
• Are you worried about funding your case?
• Is privacy key for you?

Some lawyers will simply stream you into Court, or the adversarial process, without explaining that there are other more reasonable routes for resolution. Court, or adversarial engagements, are, almost always, the costliest methods of resolving Family Law disputes.

Quality divorce lawyers should offer alternative (non-adversarial or low conflict) options for resolution, that prioritize your needs, and manage your budget. Great options for reduced conflict and lower cost are Mediation; Collaborative Family Law or non-adversarial counsel negotiations. In these forms of family law resolution, costly Court filings and appearances, and months of working through the Court process, can be avoided – significantly reducing cost. The prolongation of legal activity arising from heightened and unreasonable emotions can be avoided, or dramatically diminished. The parties can share the cost of some of their Family Law Professionals (Mediators, Parenting Coaches, Financial Specialists, Valuators), reducing the cost of these professionals by ½ for each party. However, to employ such low conflict options, the divorce lawyer whom you retain must be trained in these alternative processes. 

If the family law lawyer you consult doesn’t identify options such as mediation, collaborative family law or civil counsel negotiation, in addition to traditional Court based work, he or she may lack training and experience. As importantly, that divorce lawyer may be less able to assist you in managing your budget, and your overall wellbeing.

Superior Process Options for Cost Management

In assessing whether a family law lawyer is a good fit for you, you must also evaluate whether he or she provides a range of process options for the management of your cost. No one has an unlimited budget, so a responsible divorce lawyer will have a discussion with you about:

• your budget;
• the issues that you need to address; and
• the costs and benefits of available forms of representation.

Available forms of representation can range from comprehensive legal representation, to limited scope retainers, to coaching retainers. Each offers a different level of service and a different price tag.

Sometimes, a divorcing or separating spouse simply cannot manage the cost of retaining a divorce lawyer on a full-service basis. This does not mean that they should go it alone and create more potential challenges, with an unsupported effort and an uniformed agreement. Most established family law firms offer the options of Family Law Coaching or Limited Scope retainers. In these processes, the client can select from a menu of services that provide support in addressing specific aspects of their family law case, without engaging in a full-service retainer. Generally, there will be a fixed and certain price tag associated with each of the services on the menu. The family law client can choose how much, or how little, they would like to involve their divorce lawyer. As importantly, they can carefully control how much they to spend.

Not all family law firms offer these cost-managed options for representation, so be sure to select a firm that provides you with a variety of helpful service options.

Overview

So let’s summarize the tips, above, in a neat little package.

1. Begin your search by evaluating a firm’s website and promotional material to see if they offer various forms of dispute resolution. See if they provide a variety of cost-managed options for representation.
2. Then, armed with information, participate in a consultation or consultations with potential family law or divorce lawyers, to evaluate what they bring to the table.
   • Seek to select a lawyer with the skill set and hourly rate best suited to your needs.
   • Seek to avoid adversarial or Court based options for resolution, unless there are essential in your particular circumstance.
   • Ask how the firm’s alternatives to the adversarial or Court based process can best serve you.
   • Ask how the firm’s cost-managed options for representation can best serve you.
3. At your Family Law consultation, discuss the estimated overall cost of the process; the estimated cost of essential steps in the process; your financial means and a tailored option to meet your financial circumstances.

If you follow these steps and select wisely, you will obtain your optimum family law result and effectively manage your family law spending.

The Best Wholistic Result – Beyond the Pocketbook

Finally, stay alert to the reality that there are costs to the Family Law process beyond financial costs. Unresolved disputes affect your quality of life, your emotional wellness and your children’s wellbeing. Remaining stuck in a battle consumes time, money, opportunity and health resources. Choosing a family law or divorce lawyer who will help you to reduce conflict, speed resolution and speed healing will not only leave your pocketbook fuller, but it will also enhance many other key aspects of your life.

Stay tuned for future articles with tips to achieve a successful family law outcome and manage your family law costs.