A t Cape Fear Family Law, we are mindful that you have found yourself in some what of an unexpected, fearful realm with new terms, anxiety, and scary possible outcomes. This is most likely an unexpected cost similar to when someone has a medical emergency. The costs you are looking at are likely coming at the worse possible time in your life, when the entire financial picture is about to change. Often we see a two income household change into two separate one income households or a one income household that is changing into two households on the same income. Either option causes tremendous stress, anxiety, and problems.
We also believe that we have some answers, can provide help, and may actually save some from a future of financial desolation that may come from making decisions without sound legal counsel. We know that the services we provide are valuable and generally necessary to the clients that retain our services. We try to keep our overhead expenses as low as possible to ensure that the payment we receive for the time spent on our clients’ cases is reasonable given the expertise of our staff and the work performed.
What sets us apart from other law firms – choice! You have the choice of which type of fee you want to choose based on your unique situation.
Initial Consultations are $150.00.
Drafting of Separation Agreements, Property Settlements, and Parenting Agreements - $500.00 - $1,500.00
We offer a fixed fee for the simple drafting of any agreement between you and your spouse or you and the other parent of your children. This includes the basic drafting and reasonable changes while you negotiate with your spouse the final version. Notary services provided for you to sign the agreement and included in the fee.
Absolute Divorce - $300.00 plus filing and service fees required by the court ($167.00 + $15.00 = $180.00)
When we perform your divorce you will stop by the office, read through the divorce and sign a verification, and wait until we return from the divorce hearing with your divorce. This saves you time off work, ensures that the divorce is completed the first time, and you never have to go downtown to the courthouse.
There are two separate methods of payment of fees for the remainder of legal services offered and the ranges depend on your specific situation and your choice at the commencement of representation:
Flat or Fixed Fee – This is a flat sum paid by you at the commencement of working with our firm. The fee paid would include the drafting of a separation agreement, all required Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (to divide retirement plans), deeds, and other supporting documents. Also included in the fee are all consultations between you (the client) and our firm, including phone calls, meetings, e-mails, and any other contact. Negotiations during the process with your spouse and his/her attorney are included for no additional cost. The estimated fee additionally includes all of the fees often itemized by other firms including postage, fax and photocopy charges. The only additional fees you might incur relate to outside services you elect to purchase such as a real estate appraisal.
The fixed fee range for a case where both parties sign a collaborative pledge is a minimum of $2,000 with a maximum of $6,500.00. The exact fee quoted at your initial consultation from this range will depend on your unique situation.
The fixed fee range for a case where both parties engage in traditional negotiations is a minimum of $2,500.00 with a maximum of $10,000.00. The exact fee quoted at your initial consultation from this range will depend on your unique situation.
The fixed fee range for litigation is done in stages and is based on when the work actually commences. There is a fee for commencing the litigation representation, a second fee at seventy-five days from the date of retention for ongoing work in the litigation file such as discovery, a fee twenty (20) days prior to any alternate dispute settlement procedure, and a fee 15-45 days prior to each hearing.
Hourly Fee – This is the standard way that almost all law firms bill. This requires that you maintain a certain sum of funds in our trust account which we bill from on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. The billed amount is detailed to you in an invoice.
For collaborative matters the hourly fee is between $100.00-$250.00 per hour, depending on the complexity of your situation and the staff member handling your issues. Support staff are billed at a minimum of $45.00 per hour. The hourly rate is quoted specifically for your situation during your initial consultation. Additional fees, such as copy charges, may apply under the hourly billing method. A minimum amount of at least $2,000.00 must be deposited into our trust account and must be replenished in the event that the trust account balance falls below $500.00 at any point in time.
For traditional negotiation the hourly fee is between $100.00-$250.00 per hour, depending on the complexity of your situation and the staff member handling your issues. Support staff are billed at a minimum of $60.00 per hour. The hourly rate is quoted specifically for your situation during your initial consultation, and is subject to change for especially complex matters. Additional fees, such as copy charges, may apply under the hourly billing method. A minimum amount of at least $3,000.00 must be deposited into our trust account and must be replenished in the event that the trust account balance falls below $800.00 at any point in time.
For litigation files the hourly fee is between $125.00-$300.00 per hour depending on the complexity of your situation and the staff member handling your issues. Support staff are billed at a minimum of $65.00 per hour. The hourly rate is quoted specifically for your situation during your initial consultation, and is subject to change for especially complex matters. Additional fees, such as copy charges, may apply under the hourly billing method. A minimum amount of at least $6,000.00 must be deposited into our trust account and must be replenished in the event that the trust account balance falls below $1,500.00 at any point in time.
It is our goal to ensure that you clearly understand the fees you will be charged, understand your choices, and give you value for the fees you pay. We know that paying for legal advice during this difficult time can feel like a double-whammy. However we try to keep our overhead low, explain every step in the process, and let you choose to do some of the work (with our ongoing guidance, advice, and counsel) to keep your fees in a reasonable range.
Payment to our office can be made by cash, check, or major credit card. Although we do not have payment plans, we can generally help clients with determining the best way to pay for and afford their attorney fees.
Pro Bono cases are taken currently upon referral from a select number of agencies in the New Hanover area and will not be taken without a referral. Also, we have a cap on pro bono cases which we take each year and a referral is not a guarantee that someone’s matter will be accepted as a pro bono case.
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