Are You Concerned About Legal Fees in Your Family Law Problem?
There is no doubting the fact that family law and divorce cases are complex and time-consuming cases. The anticipated legal fees can make the cost of hiring an attorney impossible for many people. Scottsdale family law attorney John Belt has worked tirelessly to find new and innovative ways to keep the legal fees in his cases reasonable and affordable — on many occasions, he found at the end of a successful case that his fees were less than half of the other sides's legal fees.
First Step in Keeping Fees Down: Offer a Free Initial Consultation
The first portion of the legal fee is the charge for the initial consultation. While many attorneys charge for the initial consultation, Mr. Belt offers prospective clients a free first visit. This means that you have already saved money before ever hiring the Belt Law Firm.
It's standard in family law practice for the client to pay a "retainer" before committing the lawyer to the case. This protects the attorney from the possibility that the fees incurred in the future will go unpaid. While retainers vary a great deal, family law attorneys often request and receive between $5,000 and $15,000 before committing to the case. At the Belt Law Firm, the standard retainer for most family law cases is just $1,500.
Hourly Fee or Flat Fee? How About a Hybrid?
Once the work begins on the case, Arizona family law attorneys will usually bill the client by the hour at rates that typically range from $200 to $400 per hour. This means that every time he or she works on your case, you are paying the lawyer for the time spent. Scottsdale family law attorney John Belt charges $250 per hour when the client agrees to hourly billing. As an alternative, the client can often pay a "flat fee" for legal services, usually in an uncontested matter or one that presents little chance of complication. Before you hire an attorney, make sure that you have a clear understanding of the fee structure and the hourly rate that you are being charged. Ideally, the fee structure will be written down and explained in a Fee Agreement.
Mr. Belt uses a combination of hourly fee structures, flat fee structures, payment plans, and his own, cutting edge, hybrid fee structures to help clients find the best way to meet the needs of your case. Mr. Belt has found that his hybrid fee structure has saved his clients an average of over 25 percent on their total legal fees. Please make sure at your free initial consultation to discuss the fee structure that best suits your needs. If helpful to you and your family, the Belt Law Firm accepts most major credit cards.
What Goes Into the Total Legal Fee?
The total fees you will have paid by the end of your case is a function of many moving parts. Some of these are within the control of your attorney, such as his or her ability to be efficient in the preparation and presentation of your case. Some of these variables are within your own control, such as how often you need to talk to your attorney, how efficient you are at providing information and documents to your attorney, and how reasonable you are during the process of reaching a resolution to your case.
Unfortunately, the other side also influences the total amount of your legal fee. As unfair as it may seem, when the other party is being difficult or unreasonable, or the other party's attorney is demanding lots of unnecessary information, it will significantly increase the amount of your total fee. Finally, the judge, as the person who dictates the number and length of your court hearings, will have a significant impact on your total fee. All of these moving parts make it virtually impossible for a family law attorney to accurately predict what your total legal fee will be at outset of your case.
Scottsdale family law attorney John Belt is always willing to answer questions about the legal fees he is charging his client. It is his belief that complete transparency of the legal fees is one of the most important aspects of representing his family law clients. That is why Mr. Belt places his hourly rate and initial fee right here on his website.
