Flat Fee Divorce Attorney - What is a Flat Rate or Flat Fee Divorce?
A flat fee divorce, also known as a flat rate divorce, is where you pay a one-time fee up front and the attorney works to settle your case in exchange for that upfront flat fee. This is in contrast to a traditional divorce where the client pays the attorney a retainer (think down payment), and then the attorney bills by the hour against this retainer for all work on your case. When the retainer runs out, the attorney stops work and asks for it to be replenished with more money before starting work on the case again.
Currently, many people facing divorce are forced into a traditional divorce billable hour model that fails to provide predictability as to their case's monthly, or even total, cost. Unfortunately, this leaves many individuals without legal representation when they need it the most or facing financial ruin when they are trying to get help.
At Meriwether & Tharp, we believe there's a better way. That's why we have our flat fee divorce attorneys in Atlanta standing by ready to help you get to a better place without the high unpredictable costs of traditional representation.
What’s the Difference Between a Flat Fee Divorce Lawyer and a Traditional One?
In a divorce, you have two paths. Let's take a look at an example.
Path 1 - Traditional Divorce - Attorney A is a traditional divorce lawyer that charges a retainer and bills by the hour. Under Attorney A, you would pay on average, a $3,500 retainer. Attorney A begins work right away and starts billing by the hour until the case is resolved. At some point, Attorney A will run out of the retainer and will ask you to replenish the retainer with more money. By the time your case is resolved, Attorney A could have billed an additional $12,000 or more for a total cost of $15,500+. It is not uncommon for a traditional divorce to cost more than $15,000. There would be no way for you to know that total cost until the end because there was no way to know how many hours your case would take to resolve.
Path 2 - Flat Fee Divorce - Attorney B is a flat fee lawyer that charges a one-time upfront flat fee of $10,000. Attorney B collects the flat fee and starts your case right away. Attorney B settles your case for the one-time flat fee. No additional bills or surprise costs. It is more money up front than the retainer, but it ends up being less money spent overall. There's no unpredictable billing by the hour. You pay one price and that's it. For those that have qualifying credit, a flat fee can be financed and turned into low monthly payments.
You can see right away how a traditional divorce would likely end up being more expensive. You can also see how hiring a flat fee divorce attorney ends up being less expensive and more predictable since you know the price up front. No hidden fees or costs.
FAQs About Flat Fee Divorces
Q How Does a Flat Fee Work?
First, call (678)-879-9000 or click here to schedule a free telephone consultation with one of our flat rate attorneys. In your first contact with M&T, you can communicate that you are interested in the flat fee option. After that, one our experienced family law attorneys will discuss solutions and pricing options. If you choose the flat fee pricing option, you will pay an upfront one-time fee (please note this fee can be financed subject to credit qualification). The attorney will then start work on your case. There will be no hidden fees or surprise bills.
Q Will a Flat Fee Save me Money?
Yes, it will save you money compared to a traditional divorce. In a traditional divorce
you will pay an upfront retainer, then you will receive monthly bills for all
the work done on your case. The attorneys will bill by the hour for all the
work they do on your case. They will deduct these hourly bills from the retainer until it runs out. Then they will ask for the retainer to be replenished to continue work on the case. These attorneys typically cannot predict how much
your case will cost up front because they cannot predict how many hours your
case will take to resolve. This is why so many traditional divorces end up
costing between $15,000 - $25,000 and beyond.
Q Would a Flat Fee Resolve my Case Faster?
Yes. In a flat fee family law case, the lawyer will share the same goal as you - to obtain a positive result in your case as quickly as possible. The lawyer has already collected the flat fee upfront and will not bill any further on your case. This means there is no incentive for the lawyer to do unnecessary work or drag the case out since they won't be paid for that. Unfortunately, in a traditional divorce, the lawyer only makes money when they bill for work on your case. This creates an incentive for the lawyer to do extra work and take longer on certain tasks. This often leads to higher bills and the case dragging out longer.
Q Can I Finance my Flat Fee Divorce?
Yes. For our flat fee option, you can choose to put $0 down and finance your family law case starting at $485 per month for 24 months. Please keep in mind, interest and approval for financing is subject to credit qualification. Click here to see if you qualify.