what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse
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what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse

Every marriage is not meant to last forever. No matter what the reasoning behind the divorce, it is important to have legal representation for each side. I almost lost everything because my former spouse said that he was taking care of things and that he would be fair about how the assets were divided. It took several weeks for me to find out what he was up to. It was then that I hired my own attorney and got what I deserved. You should never attempt to go through a divorce without a lawyer working on your side. On my site, I have listed several of the issues that can get overlooked if you are inexperienced with divorce documents and proceedings.

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what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse

How To Pay Your Lawyer

Joy Johnson

Many people are worried about hiring a lawyer because of the cost. It is no secret that legal fees can be costly. However, in many cases the amount that you will win in a settlement, or the amount of money you will save by avoiding a lawsuit, will be far more than what you will pay in legal fees. This is why if you are considering hiring a lawyer it is important that you understand how you will be paying them.

Here are some of the more common payment arrangements attorneys will do:

Billable Hours

One of the most common ways that lawyers will charge is with billable hours. This means that for every hour they spend actively working on your case will be billed. This does not mean that all their work will be billable hours. Time spent on research, copying, and reading briefs, are not usual billed. However, any time they spend corresponding with you or the other party, writing contracts, litigating and actively working on your case will be billed to you.

When you choose this option you will either give the attorney a retainer, which means you will pay up front. Then the attorney will put the money in an account they cannot access until they have done work on your case. In other situations they will send you a bill after all the work has concluded.

Contingency

Another common way that lawyers charge is based on contingency. This means that they will not ask for any billable hours on the case; however, if you win a settlement they get a certain amount. In most cases it is 33-40% of the winnings.

Some lawyers do not want to work on contingency seeing that they run a big risk of not getting paid. For example, if you choose to drop the suit, resolve the issue on your own, or lose, they get nothing for all their time. Yet, there still are many lawyers that will take a case based on contingency if they feel like it is worth it.

Legal Package Price

In some instances you will pay the lawyer a flat fee for a service. For instance, if you create an estate plan with a lawyer you will pay a flat fee for the whole plan. A lawyer might also charge a flat fee to write a contract, such as a renters contract, or any other type of contract. This type of payment is generally reserved for a type of lawyer who will give you some sort of product for their work.

Before you hire your lawyer, talk to them about what type of payment they require. This might help you make a decision about getting legal services. Try contacting a professional like Edward M. Graves III for help.


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