When a prospective client meets with a divorce attorney for the first time, one of the primary questions on his/her mind is: How much is this going to cost me? The truth is, unless you and your spouse have already agreed on every issue and you just need the attorney to help you draft documents and finalize the divorce, it is extremely difficult to estimate cost with any degree of accuracy. Even one outstanding issue can cause the cost of a divorce to escalate.
The cost of representation in your divorce action depends on many things, including how many contested issues remain, the amount of discovery needed, whether both parties are forthcoming with answers to discovery, and the current feelings of the parties toward one another. This last issue may be the one that drives up the cost of divorce the most. The parties have obviously decided that they no longer want to remain married, but sometimes they are able act cordial to each other. If their negative feelings are so strong that they cannot be civil to each other, this may result in a party using the divorce process as a weapon, which often results in more paperwork, more hearings and, in turn, more attorney’s fees for both parties.
If you are concerned about the potential cost of your divorce, stay in close contact with your attorney (or his/her support staff) to make sure you know the status of any retainer and fees owed.Also, keep in mind that attorneys and their staff bill by the hour, and must bill you for any time spent on your case including phone calls, emails, etc. An attorney’s hourly rate is likely much higher than that of the support staff, so you may be able to keep costs down by communicating with support staff about minor questions regarding the status of your case, though it is important to remember that will be unable to give you any legal advice about your case.