the Price of Family Law Attorneys

The grand total to seek legal assistance in solving a family court matter is $18,000 and still counting. Within this, $250 an hour is the attorney's fee, what feels like countless court filing fees, and the attorney's expenses like long distance calls.

I started receiving shockingly bad service toward the end of the case. On several occasions the attorney did not bother responding to my phone calls. After clients have committed to a course of action with their attorney, I wonder to what extent attorneys take advantage of the fact that the clients feel "in too deep" to cut their losses and start all over with a new lawyer.

Understand that engaging in a legal battle is like taking on an unpleasant part-time job that lasts approximately two years. Try to maintain your relationships with others in such a way that you can solve problems amongst yourselves. When problems escalate to the point where you need someone in an official capacity to solve matters for you, understand that there is a whole system out there waiting to earn a chunk of money off of the misery of others. In an ideal world this advice would be enough, but sometimes you have the misfortune of being acquainted with people who are blindly antagonistic-- or just plain evil-- and cannot be reasoned with. Should this happen, I recommend you spend some time at the library, on the internet, and where ever else you can find the information you need to educate yourself about how to resolve the problem through methods that do not cost you a great deal of money.

If hiring an attorney is necessary, use every bit of research through the internet and the BAR Association available to choose wisely. Be at least as discriminating in choosing your lawyer as you would be in choosing a spouse. Trust is essential. When you are in a weakened state, meaning someone is out to drag you through the wringer in the legal system, you do not want to be at loggerheads with both that other party AND a highly educated, well connected lawyer. Know your rights. Finally, understand that when it comes to family court, no one side really "prevails". Both pay sorely and no one is really happy with the outcome.