the Price of a Divorce Lawyer

Uncontested dissolution of marriage. We had one child whose custody had to be determined and certain property and debts to be divided.

My husband and I split up this summer and were able to work out the division of our assets, visitation and child support issues amicably. We needed a lawyer to have the marriage dissolved and for an order of child support.

Keep in mind that lawyers charge by the hour and it is not a cheap hourly rate. If you have to get divorced its best if you can reach an agreement rather than have to hire an attorney to settle the matter in Court. For a flat fee I hired an attorney that filed the Petition for Disolution along with the Parenting Plan we had agreed on and suggested child support. Keep in mind that when children are involved, the court will decide those issues based on the best interest of the child, not solely on what the parties want, even if they agree. However, as long as your reasonable and each parent holds the child's best interest at heart this should not be a problem. If we had not reached an agreement or if my husband had filed a return answer disputing the Decree I would have had to pay a retainer of $1,500 and would have then been billed on an hourly basis. Luckily everything was settled as planned and our costs were cut significantly.