Do All Divorce Lawyers Charge the Same Fee?

One thing you need to understand before you even begin your divorce proceedings is the process is not going to be cheap by any means. How much you pay will depend on many different factors up to and including the following: • Amount of research necessaryrn• The complexity of the settlementrn• How many ancillaries are involvedrn• The length of the marriage (which has a bearing on the amount of research and assets) • How much negotiation is necessary to reach an agreementrnMany different factors come into the picture when divorce lawyers set their fees which is one reason why many choose to use a combination of flat fee structure and hourly rates. For this reason you can never know the exact cost any of the divorce lawyers will charge you until the finalization of the divorce. The only thing you can obtain from any of the divorce lawyers is an estimate. They may have a general idea how much time it will take them to conduct all the background research and present your case to the judge, but if your ex-spouse is uncooperative it will push the costs upward. rnWhen you are attempting to obtain the average cost divorce lawyers charge you will need to keep several things in mind: • All lawyers do not charge the same fees. • The fee structure depends on the complexity of the case. • You are likely to pay a higher price if you choose a large law firm instead of an individual divorce lawyer. • Lawyers who have been practicing for many years will charge a higher fee than one with less experience (that doesn’t mean to choose someone who is inexperienced, but the more experience the divorce lawyer has, the more he or she is likely to charge). • Well-known divorce lawyers will have higher fees based on reputation alone.rnWhile it may be easy enough to assume you can save money by not hiring a divorce lawyer, you need to look at your individual circumstances. If you haven’t been married very long and have n children or property, you can certainly forego the work it takes to investigate divorce lawyers and prepare the paperwork yourself. However, the addition of property and children means there will be ancillaries such as division of property, child support, custody, and spousal support or alimony. Even if you make an agreement with your ex-spouse you each want to hire divorce lawyers in order to make sure the agreement is equitable. rnAnother option that may be open to you is using a mediator to negotiate the terms of the agreement. This doesn’t mean you don’t need the divorce lawyer, but you can save money if you enlist the services of a mediator for negotiations. The mediator usually has a set fee as opposed to the hourly fee you will need to pay divorce lawyers for these services. Of course, this means you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse must be willing to come to an agreement—the mediator is not there to set terms but to help you negotiate.