Experiencing Family Crisis?

I will assist you in various contested or uncontested family issues including divorce, legal separation, annulment, spousal maintenance, parenting plans, modification of parenting plans, child support, modification of child support and contempt proceedings to enforce a family court order. I can also assist in any civil Petitions for Order of Protection involving allegations of domestic violence.

Discover you are the parent of a child you never knew you had? I handle paternity/parentage cases also.

Attorney's Fees

I am no different the most, if not all, attorneys practicing family law when it comes to charging attorney's fees in these types of cases. The attorneys fees for family law cases are based upon the time required to be spent on the case by the attorney. It is similar to a "costs plus" type of contract. I utilize a written fee agreement written in easily understood plain language. A record is kept of this time and the attorney time is charged to the client on what is called an "hourly fee". Routine work that does not require the expertise of the attorney is delegated to a paralegal or legal assistant, whose time is charged out at a significantly lower hourly fee as a cost savings to the client.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: I am still in love with my spouse. He (or she) hired an attorney and served me with a divorce. Should I try to work this out directly with my spouse and his (or her) attorney, or should I hire my own attorney?

Answer: If your spouse hired an attorney, you should hire one too. You are immediately at a disadvantage if you start negotiating with your spouse's attorney. Also, if your spouse served you with a divorce representing themself, you should hire an attorney. You are too close to the situation and emotionally involved to make the objective decisions that need to be made to protect not only yourself, but also your children (if such is the case), your property and your credit reputation. An attorney is not a mental health counselor. You should seek a family counselor or psychologist to assist you with any emotional issues. An attorney, however, is your personal advocate in the legal proceedings and will protect your legal, financial and property interests while you are consumed with other emotional issues. An attorney will "see the forest through the trees", and assist you in making rational decisions that are in your own best interests and that will assist you in maintaining your credibility with the courts during this difficult emotional time of your life.

More Information

You can find more information in our Family Crisis archive.