Save on Legal Fees

Neither you nor your soon to be ex want to start your new lives broke from high legal fees. But there are ways you can keep those fees to a reasonable and predictable amount. Follow these tips and you can save big bucks!

Never forget, most attorneys charge in 15 minute increments, even if the activity took only three minutes. That “quick call” you make to check on something could cost you from $50 on up, depending on their hourly fee. For a moderately priced attorney, your monthly charge just for fairly short phone calls could run over $1,000. If the process drags on for a year, phone fees might run to $12,000 and up just! And they may have the same policy for your emails.

Questions to Ask in Your Initial Phone Interview with an Attorney

• What is your hourly fee?
• Does that apply to phone calls and emails? If yes, in what time increments?
• How is that fee paid, i.e. is there an initial retainer?
• If so, how much is it and when do I pay it?
• If I pay the retainer and wind up changing attorneys before I’ve used up the retainer,
  is the remainder refundable?
• Can we sit down for an initial interview free of charge?
• If not, what is the charge and will it be applied to the divorce costs?
• Will I be working with you or will an associate handle my case?

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8 Ways to Save on Legal Fees

1. Don't discuss the weather, the basketball playoffs, and other trivia. Chit chat is expensive.

2. Although you may find a genuinely sympathetic attorney, don't use him as a counselor. Go to a licensed therapist.

3. Don't ask for special paperwork. Run your own copies, makes notes of phone calls, and look up addresses yourself.

4. Don't complain about your soon-to-be-ex unless it directly applies to the divorce procedure.

5. If you invite your attorney to lunch (or she invites you), find out first if it will be "on the clock."

6. Ask if there are specific ways you can save on lawyer hours, such as doing your own research, filling out forms, or mailing notices.

7. Consider hiring a skilled mediator to help you and your spouse arrive at mutually agreeable solutions to your financial and custody disagreements. The hourly fees may be less and mediators are experienced at helping you resolve your knottier problems together.

8. Do your own Discovery. Ferret out the hard-to-find facts and figures, rather than relying on your attorney to do all the Discovery. ~

NOTE: These methods of keeping attorney costs to a minimum apply to any time or situation for which you need the help of an attorney.