the Price of Family Law Attorneys

For a simple case with minimal court time and few motions, a lawyer may offer a flat fee instead of an hourly rate.

A family law case which involved an answer, one brief court appearance, and a binding agreement between the parties cost $1000.

The attorney began by stating time in court would be charged at a higher rate than office time, but instead ended up offering a flat rate, to be paid in advance. He stated that he would need the money because the opposing attorney would file lots of frivolous motions but that he would still have to respond to most of them.

He did not fight my case at all. I helped hunt down and organize all the paperwork, and he showed up in court -once- and told the judge I was willing to work out an agreement with the other party. He then informed me that the judge would have demanded it anyway, and that we were now on the judge's good side.

I didn't want any forced agreement, I wanted my lawyer to argue the law, which was in my favor. He blindsided me by not arguing anything we had gone over and immediately offering settlement.

I did not feel that I got my money's worth at all. However, it probably still cost me less than if he had billed me hourly. I'm sure he would have found a way to bill me for those hours I spent in his office doing the legwork/paperwork for the case.

Make sure you know exactly how your lawyer intends to proceed in your case. Make him or her repeat it. Ask again before entering the courtroom to make sure he or she hasn't changed plans midstream without letting you know.

Ask about a flat rate instead of hourly and if one is not available, inquire as to exactly what you are being billed for and how the hours are calculated. Keep in mind, if you phone your attorney and speak for 15 minutes, you will likely be billed at his regular hourly rate for that time. If he charges $200 per hour, you have just made a $50 phone call.