About Legal Costs & Attorney Fees
Our Lawyer’s Promise to You:
- Your first consultation is always free for qualifying family law matters.
- We are dedicated to keeping your legal fees as low as possible.
- We offer affordable retainers and reasonable hourly rates.
- We offer the highest quality of legal service at affordable rates.
- We will try to arrange payment plans you can afford.
- We will make sure you understand all fees and costs.
Affordable Divorce & Family Law Attorney
Choosing a lawyer to represent you in a family law matter is one of the most important decisions you will make. Since nothing is more important than your family, you want the attorney who is fighting for your rights to be “the best.” But, finding “the best” lawyer for your needs while keeping legal fees “affordable” can be challenging.
Unlike many other law firms, we are always completely “up-front” about your legal costs. We are committed to helping you understand how legal fees will be applied to your case, and equally dedicated to doing everything we can to provide “the best” in representation while keeping your legal costs as low as possible.
We are committed to providing the highest quality of legal representation, while remaining sensitive to your financial issues, keeping costs reasonable, and working out a payment plan you can afford. Starla Zehr will be happy to evaluate your legal matter at no charge and clearly explain the fees and costs that would be anticipated in your family law matter. She has helped hundreds of individuals and she can help you.
Understanding Legal Fees and Costs
First you should understand that in any legal case there are certain fixed expenses that the lawyer must pay on your behalf. These expenses include the “filing fee” that must be paid to the court any time a case is started, or any time a motion is filed. For example, when a party files a divorce the filing fee that must be paid to the court is almost $200 without minor children, and approximately $300 with minor children.
In Michigan, family law attorneys generally charge clients at an hourly rate for the amount of time that they must work on a case. The hourly rate may vary slightly from lawyer to lawyer, but you will find that the hourly rate is fairly consistent among good lawyers in your area. If a lawyer’s hourly rate is considerably less than most of the other lawyers in town, it may be an indication that he or she is not as experienced or as competent as the other lawyers. Remember, like anything else, you usually get what you pay for!
Charging clients at an hourly rate is fair for both the client and the lawyer. If your case is more difficult and takes more of the lawyer’s time, your legal fees will be higher than those of a client with a quick and easy case!
The next thing clients need to understand is the retainer. A retainer is simply a “down-payment” on your case. Since neither you nor the lawyer know exactly how much time will be involved in your case, an experienced lawyer makes an “estimate” of what he or she needs to “get started.” The retainer is used to pay initial expenses, such as filing fees, as well as the initial hours of the lawyer’s work. Once your retainer has been “used up” by expenses and lawyer’s hours, you will be billed for any additional expenses or hours worked, at the agreed upon hourly rate.
There are many things that a client can do to reduce the number of hours that a lawyer works on their case, thereby keeping their own legal costs down. For instance, clients who can reach an agreement with their spouse on issues such as custody, visitation or the division of property without engaging their lawyer in prolonged fighting or negotiations will have much lower legal fees than a client whose lawyer must spend hours fighting over every detail.
