The need for family law mediation arises when you need family lawyers to handle substantial and complex issues involved in a divorce, such as spousal support, child custody, child support, or the division of assets. For these situations, a family lawyer can make the proceedings much clearer and easier to handle. Moreover, the lawyer will have relevant experience and knowledge that you do not. Family lawyers will be well versed in all the pertinent laws and family-related issues that affect you and your spouse.
So how do you know if hiring a family law attorney will be worth your money? When you look at the overall costs, it is not that expensive. For the other more complicated cases, like those concerning child custody, divorce, or spousal support, you might need to shell out thousands of dollars. And remember that you won’t just pay your family lawyer’s hourly rates. You also need to pay for his retainer, filing fees, and other miscellaneous fees.
What if you can’t afford an hourly rate for your family lawyer? You can certainly still hire an attorney on a contingent basis- that means you pay only for the legal fees. The contingency fee means that you pay nothing until your attorney obtains a settlement for you. You may have to pay a small retainer upfront and agree to regular weekly meetings with your legal representative. If you and your spouse reach an agreement in this regard, it can save you both time and money.
Another option to save money when hiring family lawyers is to set up an arrangement. Let’s say you and your spouse have different ideas on how to solve a certain problem. You could set up a family law mediation. This works like a boardroom negotiation. Your lawyer would represent you, and your spouse would represent the other side. When both sides agree to settle the case, you pay your lawyer, and your spouse pays the other side.
Of course, it’s important to realize that setting up a family law mediation doesn’t always save you money. Sometimes, the problem isn’t worth negotiating. In those cases, you’ll want to hire an attorney at an hourly rate. If you can afford to do so, it’s probably a better option. Just make sure your attorney is competent and experienced.
If you are having trouble deciding who to hire for your case, you can get several recommendations by contacting the Local Bar Association.