For the uninitiated, hiring an attorney to help press forward with a divorce can be daunting. Most people seeking a divorce have never worked with a family law attorney before, so if you are preparing for a divorce case, you should take the time to understand how it all works so that you are comfortable as the divorce progresses. The focus in the post will be on retainers/trust deposits, and the hourly rate.
Family law attorneys typically require you to deposit a “retainer” or “trust deposit” with the law firm. These terms refer to money which you deposit with your attorney’s law firm, which the firm will use to bill legal services and pay for costs (e.g., filing fees). The law firm will hold the money in “trust” for you–i.e., the money is the yours and is accounted for as the law firm uses the trust account to move the case forward.
As the law firm performs work on the case, typically legal services will be billed at an “hourly rate “–that is, as work is done on the case, the law firm will account for time spent representing you.
How much of a trust deposit will you need to make? How much is the hourly rate?
These questions, and more, will be addressed in future posts under the heading “How Much Will the Divorce Cost?”