4 Things to Know about A Flat Fee Divorce
Four things to know about flat fees, fixed fees, and flat rate divorces before you get started in a divorce and before you sign a fee agreement with a divorce attorney.
1. No Surprise Fees or Costs
When someone has a flat fee, a flat rate, or a fixed fee agreement with a divorce lawyer there will be no surprise fees or unplanned costs in their statement or bill from the divorce attorney. The fee agreement (which should always be a written fee agreement) will spell out what costs and fees for the specific divorce services are included in the fee. For instance, if I, as a divorce lawyer, and the client agree to work together to prepare a divorce decree and the spouses have already agreed to the terms of the divorce, the fee agreement will be written, and will include a list of work the client can expect me to perform on his or her behalf while we are working together. The fee agreement will possibly also include a list of additional divorce services or legal actions as options, that are not included in the fee agreement. The additional divorce legal services and fees only apply, if and only if, the client requests or chooses those additional legal services or legal tasks. For example, if the divorce client anticipates they have agreed on all the issues, but something changes and the two spouses aren’t in agreement anymore, the client may now think a mediation is needed. The fee agreement might include the cost of mediation, or other additional legal actions for the client to consider all the information while making the decision about how to move the divorce forward.
2. Flat Fees Aren’t Only for Agreed Divorces
Divorce attorneys who offer flat fee, fixed fee or flat rate divorce fee agreements may offer those fee arrangements for divorces that aren’t filled with agreements yet. They may offer a flat fee for a divorce that needs a temporary hearing, a divorce that is considering discovery needs, or a divorce where the divorcing couple is considering using a divorce mediator to help them reach agreements.
3. Choices
The flat fee or flat rate divorce client will have choices when considering how to move their case forward. The fee agreement may contain a scale or applicable fees for legal services should they be needed. As an example, there are more ways to conclude a divorce than just going to court. In fact, most divorces don’t end by a trial to the judge or a trial by jury, but rather they end by the parties reaching an agreement on the issues in their divorce. If there is an agreed divorce, and a flat fee agreement with a divorce attorney, it may be possible that within the fee agreement it lists additional legal services and the flat fees that go with each of those, like a temporary hearing, mediation, or discovery should they be needed in the divorce.
4. A Divorce Attorney without Hourly Rates
There is no question that high hourly rates can be frustrating at times. Traditional divorce attorney fee agreements can include hourly rates for attorneys, and paralegals, as well as some support staff. Next traditional fee agreements will include a discussion of the incremental time billing which is by minimums time or actual time spent. To further that frustration with traditional billing is the traditional 6-minute billing increment – tenths of an hour – that is included in that mathematical equation every time a bill is generated for a client’s review.
A flat rate divorce or flat fee divorce won’t have confusing hourly rates, time increments or any formulas to determine your cost for a call with your divorce attorney or an email from your divorce lawyer.
You can get the benefit of having a divorce lawyer on your side, without the stress of unknown divorce legal fees and divorce attorney hourly rates.
If you’d like to finish your divorce, but aren’t quite sure how to do the last steps or have an agree think it would be nice to receive a weekly update email or any email for that matter, without wondering about the associated cost, a fixed fee or flat rate divorce attorney may be a good fit for you.
Call today to find out more about how a flat fee or flat rate divorce could benefit you and set up your consultation with Jill O’Connell– 972-203-6644