Divorce: Attorney Fees and Costs

If you are facing a Florida divorce, the legal cost naturally concerns you. Having a better understanding of how it all works can help. If you are headed toward divorce and have no idea how you are going to afford attorney fees and costs, it’s time to reach out to an experienced Florida divorce attorney.

Generally, your divorce attorney will charge you an hourly rate that they will discuss with you in your initial consultation. If you and your divorcing spouse are attempting to keep the divorce as amicable as possible or are committed to hammering out terms between yourselves (with your respective divorce attorneys’ guidance), you shouldn’t have any trouble keeping your attorney fees in the lower range. If, however, your divorce goes off the rails along the way or is contentious, to begin with, your legal expenses can grow exponentially. If your spouse is heating things up in an attempt to squeeze you out (due to the fact that you can’t keep up financially), you can address the matter with the court.

It is not a secret that divorce is often expensive, but there are certain factors that generally make it that much more so, including:

Having high assets or complex assets overall
Having several divorce terms that need to be resolved
Owning a business
Adopting a contentious attitude

Generally, both spouses pay for their own legal fees, but if the court determines that one spouse has less stable financial footing than the other, it can require the spouse with greater financial means to cover the other’s reasonable legal fees and costs. The idea behind this is that the stakes, including both financial and parental rights, are too high to allow one spouse to lose out due to a financial disadvantage. Generally, your request for an award of attorney fees must be included in your original filing, or you could lose the opportunity altogether, illustrating yet another reason why working with a dedicated Florida divorce attorney from the outset is so important.

In making the determination regarding whether or not your spouse will be required to pay your attorney fees and costs, it will take all of the following factors into consideration:

• You and your spouse’s financial resources, which is typically the most important element
• How your case progresses (did it start out friendly and become contentious as your spouse dug their heels in, for example)
• The merits of you and your spouse’s filings
• How serious your financial need is

If you have concerns about your divorce attorney fees and costs, the well-respected divorce attorneys at Costa & Associates are on your side and are well prepared to help. For more information, please don’t wait to contact or call us at 305-827-0100 to schedule your consultation today.