What Will My Divorce Cost?
What Will My Divorce Cost?
One of the first questions people ask when hiring a lawyer is how much will it cost? While we cannot guarantee what your total cost will be (as it depends on your own individual facts and circumstances), the guidelines below will give you an estimate. Our hourly fees are $300 for attorneys and $130 for paralegals. We generally require a retainer payment at the first client meeting between $3,500 and $5,500. We accept payments via credit card, cash or check.
Uncontested Divorce – Estimate of Cost for Legal Fees
- Uncontested without children – $1,500 – $3,500
- Uncontested with children – $2,500- $5,500
- Uncontested with substantial assets – $2,500- $5,500*
*Farm divorces generally are higher than $5,500 even if uncontested because of the time and expense in having the land and/or farm machinery valued in addition to determining fair income for child support and/or spousal support.
Contested Divorce – Estimate of Cost for Legal Fees
- Middle Class Income with children and contested custody – $5,000 – $15,000
- Middle Class Income with children, contested custody, and asset disputes – $7,500 – $15,000
- Marital estate from $200,000 up to $600,000 (mid-asset case) – $6,000 – $15,000
- Marital estate over $600,000 (high asset case) – $15,000 – $50,000
