Lower Your Legal Fees - 4 Key Tips To Save You Money On Your Family Law Case!

Attorney fees and court costs can add up in a divorce or custody case. How much legal services will cost is a common question that clients have. Hourly billing is the norm with family law cases - the more work an attorney or paralegal puts into a case, the higher the final cost will be.

Some elements of a case that determine cost, such as the complexity of the issues, the attitude of the opposing party, and even the point in the process that the case finally resolves, are different for each case and can vary. This can make it difficult to estimate what the total fees might be. There are some things the client can do though to help keep costs down, and we encourage our clients to make every effort to do that.

Generally, the less time the law office spends on a case, the lower the final bill. With that in mind, here are four important tips to help you lower your family law case attorney fees:

1. Time is money with your case.
Attorneys and paralegals bill hourly for the services they provide. Conferences, emails, telephone calls, preparation of documents, pleadings and appearances at court hearings, are all billable services. Lawyers sell their knowledge, their expertise, and their time applying the law to your case. Everyone wants their attorney to handle the big and important matters; that is cost effective for them. Don’t bog your case down and increase your fees unnecessarily with matters you could deal with yourself. Time you spend organizing and assembling your own documents, obtaining and providing specific items requested of you, and combining multiple questions into one email, for example, can save you substantially. Handle the little stuff on your own and save the big stuff for the professionals.

2. Be mindful of time spent on property division.
Sometimes parties spend more on attorney fees fighting over property than what the property is worth. Emotions and a “win it all” attitude can cost people plenty. At Smith Law Group, we try to avoid this by encouraging our clients to reach agreements, if possible, on things that are less important. Save the battle, and attorney fees, for things that have true monetary, sentimental, or other important value. Many times, giving in on a small issue allows a party to trade for something they really want, thereby satisfying both parties, and allowing the case to move forward with less obstacles and less cost.

3. Handle day-to-day issues without attorney assistance.
Save your attorney and paralegal time for legal issues, or matters that cannot be resolved without court intervention. Contact the school or the doctor’s office yourself. Try to communicate with the other party, if you can, instead of having your attorney “call” the other attorney, which is usually a fruitless endeavor anyway. For example, the failure to return an item of children’s clothing is minor compared to the amount of support the court will ultimately set in your case. Use your attorney for getting the support, not the diaper bag.

4. Make sure your attorney is using the latest technology.
Recent advances in technology provide computer systems and programs that allow for cases to be tracked and handled more easily and efficiently. These systems help prevent errors in calendaring, due dates, work production and other important items. At Smith Law Group, we use the latest technology that allows us to handle substantially more work in much less time, which ultimately saves money for our clients. For security and identification purposes, we also have systems in place that record and photograph important information and make it available to us at our fingertips as needed.

While certain fees associated with your family law case are unavoidable, there are things you can do to help keep costs down. The attorneys at Smith Law Group are committed to helping clients keep fees as low as possible. If you have questions about your family law case, please reach out to us. We are always here to help!