How Does A Florida Divorce Lawyer Charge?

When you are considering hiring a lawyer, it is important to find someone who can

help you to stay within your budget while also providing you with top-quality legal services and educated and informed legal advice. It can sometimes seem difficult to find a lawyer whose prices work with your budget, but it is important to understand the different types of fee structures and fee arrangements so you know what you are getting into.

Legal Fees for a Florida Divorce

There are a few general ways in which lawyers collect fees. One option for certain types of cases is called a contingency fee. This fee is charged on a percentage basis only if the client wins his case. Contingency fees are very common in personal injury and medical malpractice actions. Contingency fees are not, however, permitted in divorce cases. You also cannot pay your lawyer a percentage of your divorce settlement. Because your lawyer is not paid on a contingent basis, you never have to worry about your lawyer becoming overly aggressive and dragging out your divorce or making it more complicated or acrimonious simply in an effort to raise his or her fees.

Another way in which attorneys may charge clients is by coming to a flat-fee agreement. A flat fee arrangement works in simple Florida divorce cases where your attorney can predict up front about how long and complicated the divorce process will be. A flat fee arrangement can be a great choice because you will know right at the beginning what the legal services are going to cost you and you will never have to worry about surprise bills that you were not expecting. Whenever possible, if you are interested in a flat-fee arrangement with your Florida divorce lawyer, you should go into your divorce with a plan to come to a settlement agreement with your spouse outside of court.

Finally, a third option is to hire an attorney on an hourly basis. You will enter into an agreement with that lawyer and you may have to pay a retainer, which is sort of a pre-payment for services performed. Your lawyer will bill you when he works on your case and you will pay at your agreed-upon hourly rate. Even this fee structure can be affordable in a divorce case provided that you find an attorney who charges fees within your budget and provided that you are committed to trying to make your divorce as easy and quick as possible. Again, if you litigate your divorce, it becomes much more complicated to end your marriage and you will end up paying more in legal fees to your attorney under an hourly-rate system. If you just want your attorney to assist you with informing you of your rights, negotiating an out-of-court settlement and drafting a divorce agreement, however, then hiring a lawyer on an hourly basis may not be a terrible option to have the legal representation you need during your divorce.

by: Jeff Miller

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