Cost of a Divorce
How Much Will My Divorce Cost?
Fees are always an important concern when a family is already stressed about money due to the transition to two households during a divorce. At Koenig|Dunne, we strive to be transparent with you about your current legal expenses and the total projected costs throughout your case. At your initial consultation, we will provide you with some suggestions to control your legal fees during the divorce process.
While it is impossible to predict how much your legal fees will be, the following are some of the factors:
- The nature and complexity of the issues contested
- The number of issues agreed to between the parties
- The cooperation by your spouse and his or her attorney
- Whether there are litigation costs, such as fees for witnesses, experts, or a court reporter
Our account manager, Katy Johnson, will discuss the fees with you after your initial consultation with your attorney. She will review the payment structure for your divorce, the process to retain our firm, and detail the hourly rates for services rendered by each member of our legal team. Every month you will receive a detailed statement itemizing the date services were performed, the nature of the services, payments made, and charges incurred.
In more complex cases, we will prepare a Litigation Budget for your review. This helps you to understand the nature of the services anticipated and the time that may be spent for litigated cases. It is helpful for budgeting, including planning for additional retainers should your initial retainer be exhausted.
In some cases the opposing party may be ordered to pay some portion of your attorney’s fees. The obligation for the fees remains yours until the other party has made payment.
At Koenig|Dunne, we try to reduce the anxiety about the costs of legal services by educating you about the process, the necessary professional services anticipated, and the likely costs. We are always pleased to explore options with you if there are concerns about your account.