Uncontested divorces are reserved for those spouses that have or could agree
as to all terms in a pending divorce process. Try to find an attorney that will offer to represent you for a flat fee.
Many spouses contemplating an unconested divorce are unintentionally mis-led by attorneys that quote retainers of
$1,000 or less. The general public should be well aware that retainer quotes are NOT what your uncontested case will
cost you. The quoted amount is merely an amount on deposit to cover some of your attorney's fees. Generally, this
payment is referred to as a "retainer" or "retainer deposit." Retainers are lump sum amounts that
are deposited with an attorney. Your lawyer will then work on your case and deduct his or her hourly rate from that
deposit. When the deposit is depleted, you owe more money.
Almost always, you will owe additional amounts at the end of your uncontested
case. Most uncontested cases costs approximately $3,000 to $15,000 plus court costs. This large range of fees
is usually always attributable to spouses being unable to agree on material terms of their divorce settlement.
Largely, the divorce system is broken only because of the issues and disputes resulting from the large amount
of attorneys' fees attributed to a case. Many attempts to curb the fee issues in a case have failed, where the current
divorce arena awards lawyers to be overly (and needlessly agressive) and some lawyers cheer on their clients when they want
to litigate. Both of these practices are a bad idea. If you feel that your lawyer is needlessly driving up litigation
- its time to change lawyers.
Our office provides flat fee representation for uncontested cases. The flat fee is determined
at the time of the initial (no cost - no pressure) consultation. We will not ask you to sign a contract or force you
to retain our services at this first meeting. It's a true free initial consultation without any obligations attached.
Unlike many offices, we will not pressure you to hire our office. In fact, we do not allow you to hire us on the first
visit. The inital constulation is designed so that you can meet and have a candid conversation with a seasoned and skilled
family law attorney.
Initial
consultations can be done in person, or over the phone. We try to make the first talk as convenient as possible for
the client. Once the flat fee is set, we also put the flat fee in writing. We don't hold out empty promises. You
will know the exact amount of the flat fee we offer, you'll have it in writing, and you will see that it covers "all
fees for attorneys' time." No hidden terms.
Spouses and Parents that are intested in a low-cost solution to their divorce, should call to inquire further.
It's not a good fit for many cases, but if you can finalize your divorce on the flat fee payment, you'll have done yourself
and your wallet a favor. Good luck in the process, and just call for more information.
If you are interested in obtaining more information about how a flat fee could work for you,
please call Paul D. Nordini at (480) 527-9000
or email him at: paul.nordini@divorceinfosite.com
