Legal Costs and Fee Structure

Paying for Your Family Law and Divorce Representation

We are as concerned about high legal fees as you are because we understand that full legal representation can be extremely costly. With that said, we believe we are “worth every dollar” because of the unique ways we provide an exceptional value to our clients:

• We use an attorney/paralegal team in each case to provide cost-efficiency in completing the variety of tasks needed for your representation;
• We keep our hourly rates comparable to similarly sized and situated law firms;
• We use technology innovations in our practice that save time, which saves our clients money;
• We carefully counsel clients to choose the least costly process to resolve their Family Law/Divorce matter while still ensuring that clients remain adequately protected;
• We leverage our decades of experience to ensure that we do not waste time ‘on your dime’ covering ground we have covered in countless cases before;
• We provide you with the added value of “above-and-beyond“ exceptional legal representation and compassionate customer service.

We know, however, that not every budget can support full legal representation and so we provide options of legal support to fit different types of budgets.

Full Representation but with Reasonable Retainers

For some, the prospect of hiring a lawyer can be daunting when initial phone calls are met with requests for retainers as high as $10,000. We offer a retainer option that allows clients to provide a lower retainer in the first instance, instead of spreading the cost of representation to the client more evenly across the lifespan of the case.

Unbundled/Limited Representation and Legal “Coaching”

Given that a vast percentage of individuals with cases in the Family Court are unrepresented, you are not alone if you are considering representing yourself. While perhaps not the ideal option, unfortunately for some this is the best option in light of what a budget allows. We provide a type of representation that strikes a balance between you representing yourself completely on your own and you being fully represented. It is called “unbundled” or limited legal representation. You could think of it as dining at a restaurant “a la carte,” choosing only the items you want off the menu, as compared to paying a fixed price for the entire six-course meal.

Some ways that we can assist you with Unbundled Representation include:

• Reviewing your mediation documents prior to your signing them;
• Meeting with you before and throughout mediation to set goals, discuss strategy, and get you prepared for mediation;
• Reviewing or preparing your court documents for you;
• Preparing you for a hearing, including briefing you on the legal rules that you will need to follow, preparing exhibits, preparing arguments, preparing court documents.

Clients who use us for this service like it for a variety of reasons including:

• You, the client, controls what you need help with and what the cost will be;
• We can make ourselves very accessible on a pay-as-you-go basis to answer quick emails or phone questions along the way;
• Sometimes clients want the support that an attorney can bring behind the scenes without “ramping up the stakes” by having an attorney attend hearings or mediation;
• It is more affordable and carefully tailored to providing you with just the type of help you need

Pro Bono (No-Charge)

Our firm does representation throughout the year at no charge for individuals whose income falls below a certain level. We do not receive direct referrals for these cases but instead receive referrals through the Pro Bono Referral Program of the New Hampshire Bar Association. For more information on this and other free/reduced fee legal programs in New Hampshire, click here.