Legal Costs
Family Law Legal Costs
You are most likely experiencing a very difficult time and legal costs in family law is an added pressure in an already stressful situation. One of the most pressing questions many clients will ask is how much lawyers charge to help them document a settlement or to go to court.
Lawyers are required to provide you with a Cost Agreement at the commencement of your matter that clearly sets out an estimate of the different stages of family law. At Gillard Family Lawyers we have a good understanding of how many hours it takes to cover the different stages. A lawyer is not able to control how the other side responds or if they are dragging out proceedings on purpose to increase your legal fees. A good lawyer will know what tactics to deploy or applications to file when this is occurring in a case.
Cost Agreements will usually set out estimates to:
- Document a settlement.
- Negotiate a settlement and the documentation of it.
- Attending Mediation.
- Filing court proceedings.
- Attending an interim hearing.
- Attending a final hearing.
Most lawyers charge an hourly rate and request funds in trust at the commencement of your matter.
Accredited Specialist in Family Law
Experienced lawyers or Accredited Specialists often have higher hourly rates. This should not deter you from using them because their experience will mean they spend less time reviewing and drafting documents often resulting in your fees being lower overall. They are less likely to use counsel or barristers to review work at the initial stages of court or to attend mediation. They are experienced enough to represent you without the need to incur more fees.
What is litigation funding?
If you are unable to pay your legal fees there are litigation funding services available. At Gillard Family Lawyers we work with a limited number of providers who we consider are reputable and their interest rates are comparable to personal loans with major banks. You do not make any monthly repayment to the litigation funding service until the conclusion of your matter. This means funding is only an option if there will be cash available at the end to pay back the litigation funding service. If we consider that you may benefit from this service, we will discuss it with you during your initial consultation or if circumstances arise during your matter where it becomes appropriate.
How to get started?
At Gillard Family Lawyers in Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and Maitland we offer a fixed fee initial consultation from $330 and in most circumstances we are able to make an appointment during the week that you contact us. We have a specialist team that have experience in divorce, custody arrangements, parenting plans, consent orders, property settlements, de facto family law issues, interim hearings, final hearings and mediations.
What happens during an Initial Consultation?
Our initial consultations are not confined to a set period. We spend time with you to answer your questions. Unlike most other family law firms, we will send a questionnaire to you beforehand to obtain relevant information from you, so we are prepared in advance for your meeting. We find this allows us to answer your most pressing questions in more detail, to give you a view of what percentage split you may be entitled to or what the court may order in your parenting matter. Our initial consultations are not a short meeting or a 15-minute free phone call that just explains the law to you. Our initial consultations are a comprehensive meeting, applying your facts to the law and giving you our view of likely outcomes.
We offer the following payment methods:
- Electronic Transfer
- EFTPOS including credit cards. We except all cards including Master, Visa and American Express
- Bank Cheque
- Cash