Hi all,
just wondered how everyone is coping with high cost of legal fees in family law? Or are most people self-represented.
My experience: had custody battle + dispute about child support, hired a lawyer for 350 per hour, in first year /i had fees of 33,000.00$, this has eaten up all my savings and filled in my credit lines. I was lucky lawyer wanted to help sincerely and I was his last client before retirement, so he worked for free for 1.5 years after that to lead me to settlement on consent. I paid out those debts of mine now, and only a year after, the other party wants to change final agreement. I attended case conference and prepared for interim motion. Already paid 9,000.00. Have debt of 6 K. I have a lawyer who costs 250 per hour and I try to do many things on my own, but still reviewing my drafts, finalizing them etc, takes her 2-3 hours here and there and emails and other little things wind up to roughly 3,000.00 per month. This is totally beyond what I can put off for legal fees. I don't know how to make it more cost-effective. Look for another lawyer, am afraid will have the same story.
In addition, I deal with this staff now but myself need to bring mobility issue to court, I can afford only 2 K per month in on order not to incur into more debt.
How other people cope with it all? I don't even have a house to sell it or any other assets. Have salary of 49 k per year.
Being self-represented in my situation is not a good idea.
Do people here meet decent lawyers who try to help to save client's money. the way that drafts are written together and you know how much your lawyer spend on each affidavit instead of getting surprising bills in the end, and other possible ways to avoid unreasonable bills, etc.
I am looking for a new lawyer and wonder what to know if I ask her/him on how the will be billing me.
just wondered how everyone is coping with high cost of legal fees in family law? Or are most people self-represented.
My experience: had custody battle + dispute about child support, hired a lawyer for 350 per hour, in first year /i had fees of 33,000.00$, this has eaten up all my savings and filled in my credit lines. I was lucky lawyer wanted to help sincerely and I was his last client before retirement, so he worked for free for 1.5 years after that to lead me to settlement on consent. I paid out those debts of mine now, and only a year after, the other party wants to change final agreement. I attended case conference and prepared for interim motion. Already paid 9,000.00. Have debt of 6 K. I have a lawyer who costs 250 per hour and I try to do many things on my own, but still reviewing my drafts, finalizing them etc, takes her 2-3 hours here and there and emails and other little things wind up to roughly 3,000.00 per month. This is totally beyond what I can put off for legal fees. I don't know how to make it more cost-effective. Look for another lawyer, am afraid will have the same story.
In addition, I deal with this staff now but myself need to bring mobility issue to court, I can afford only 2 K per month in on order not to incur into more debt.
How other people cope with it all? I don't even have a house to sell it or any other assets. Have salary of 49 k per year.
Being self-represented in my situation is not a good idea.
Do people here meet decent lawyers who try to help to save client's money. the way that drafts are written together and you know how much your lawyer spend on each affidavit instead of getting surprising bills in the end, and other possible ways to avoid unreasonable bills, etc.
I am looking for a new lawyer and wonder what to know if I ask her/him on how the will be billing me.
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