Hiring a divorce lawyer can be costly regardless of the case. You will have to bear all sorts of associated fees apart from the fees of the divorce lawyer. Since you are planning to hire an attorney, it is important that you have an understanding of the costs that you are expected to pay. This will help you in planning the payment for the attorney fees.
The cost of hiring McKinney divorce lawyers will depend on how complex your case is. The more complex your case is, the more work needs to be done. Uncontested divorce is the cheapest case to settle. The attorney doesn’t have to work much on the case because the major issues are already settled by both parties. Typically, a divorce case that involves real estate and children are more expensive. The higher is your net worth, the more it will cost as you need to pay for more fees to appraise the value of your assets. These fees include appraiser, and forensic accountant.
Any time when the lawyer spends on your case is counted including talking with you on the case such as explaining the terms for child custody and answering your questions on the divorce case. In addition, the lawyer also has to spend time in doing research and compiling the evidence. At a minimum, the divorce attorney can charge a flat fee that ranges in between $1,000 – $6,000.
There are also other factors that need to be taken into account including appearances in the court, mediation session, contacting experts, child support arrangement, psychological evaluations, being present with the child custody evaluator, and etc. You can have an attorney to calculate these costs individually and put them into a flat fee. If you have a low budget, lawyers that charge a flat fee may suit you because you know what kind of payment is expected to make.
On the other hand, if you choose a lawyer with an hourly rate, the lawyer will keep track of all the time spent on your case and bill you accordingly. The hourly rate varies depending on the reputation and experience of the attorney. Lawyers that charge hourly rate will also charge a retainer fee. Usually, contested divorce that is dealing with several complex issues or involves a huge sum of marital assets will use a lawyer that charges an hourly rate. You will have to be receiving a significant sum of compensation in order to make sense to hire an expensive lawyer.
Both parties are usually responsible for paying their own attorney fees. If your spouse hires a lawyer, you will also have to hire a lawyer to ensure that your rights get protected. In special circumstances, the judge can order the other party that is wealthier to pay for part of the lawyer fee. The fees for divorce attorneys are not tax deductible but there is an exception on this. The exception is for people who hire attorneys that charge fees for child support or give tax advice on divorce cases.
