Keeping Legal Fees Low In A Divorce

Divorce is often a tumultuous time for both parties involved. In addition to emotional and personal stresses, costs associated with retaining a family law attorney in the event of a divorce can quickly lead to financial stress. Be sure to keep the following tips in mind to ensure fees associated with your legal proceedings are kept low.

1. Get organized and stay organized. Information sourcing is the first stage of any legal matter and can quickly become the most expensive. Before entering into your initial consultation with a legal aide, be sure to prepare yourself with clear documents outlining your timeline of events and have photocopies of important documents on hand. Organization at early stages of the case will allow your lawyer to forgo expensive information collection at later stages. A solid foundation for your lawyer is an economical one for you. Be sure to keep notes of meetings and developments in your case through the ensuing weeks, as efforts to stay organized will allow you to avoid redundancies in the future.

2. Stay on topic! Family law proceedings are often emotional times for all parties, but making efforts to ensure your lawyer does not become your therapist is important. Talk to family, friends and health professionals about emotional and personal issues associated with the case, but be sure to keep meetings with your attorney on topic. Time spent on areas outside the scope of your case is money wasted, so prepare yourself technically and emotionally for meetings to maximize efficiency.

3. Be candid with your lawyer. Opportunities to withhold facts or paint yourself in a favorable light to your lawyer may be tempting, but avoid this temptation. Honestly is not only the best method of mounting a successful case, but an economical one too. Late-stage evidence that contradicts information you have provided your lawyer will surely lead to an expensive and potentially unsuccessful rebuttal. The attorney-client privilege ensures that communication between parties in confidence remains confidential, so aim to be truthful to mount the best case.

4. Consider reaching a settlement. A settlement may not be the ideal solution to a family law case as it requires compromise on the account of both parties, but it is an opportunity to avoid the hefty legal fees associated with going to trial. Mediation through lawyers or publicly available counseling services should always be looked at first before filing a legal proceeding. Contact a company like Baudler, Maus, Forman, Kritzer & Wagner, LLP for more information.