matilda
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/04
Posts: 2092
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I went to a consultation with an attorney today about getting a custody and child support order. He stated that if the order is stipulated (we both agree to terms beforehand) it would be about $3750 plus $550 court fees. That would be for 10 hours work at $375 per hour.
If the father doesn't agree to terms stipulated and we have to go to court he said that would be about 5 hours at $375 per hour plus additional court fees and service fees for serving his employer. That would be about $2,000 more. I wasn't expecting this to cost $6,000. Does this seem excessive for CA?
The reason why I am thinking about using an attorney is that I want sole legal and physical custody because DD6's father is addicted to meth. I want supervised visitation. I am only asking for state guidelines for CS plus the add-ons allowed for 1/2 of child care.
Please let me know if these seems reasonable.
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Brin
journeyman
Reged: 08/04/09
Posts: 67
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Reasonable, no, typical, yes. I believe my husband's attny, is like $275 per hour, and his aids are around $150-200. It racks up QUICKLY, believe me.
You can always look around for other lawyers, their fees do fluctuate, but they aren't by any means cheap.
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cincsu
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 4686
Loc: residence in AZ, case in CA
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we spent about $50K in attorneys fees to get this in CA and that was at $275 to $300 per hour. you don't have to pay an atty for CS. you, as the CP, are provided the free-to-you-tax-payor-funded-child-support-attorney to work in the best interest of the child - which always means getting the most money possible for the CP.
having said that, i would work with the attorney for custody only if you are worried about the funds.
finally, if you and the ex can come to an agreement you can use the tax-payor-funded-family-law-facilitator for free file the papers. there may be some minimal charges for filing the paperwork through the court.
if the child's dad is a meth addict, though, i see garnishing wages as being difficult - so again i wouldn't pay an attorney to squeeze blood out of a turnip.
and if you want sole custody and the child's dad is involved at all then i'd prepare for much higher than $6K in attorney's fees.
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wife of 1, mother of 2, stepmother of .3475902453
Edited by cincsu (07/16/10 03:37 PM)
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Sherron
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/25/06
Posts: 20190
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"you don't have to pay an atty for CS. you, as the CP, are provided the free-to-you-tax-payor-funded-child-support-attorney to work in the best interest of the child - which always means getting the most money possible for the CP."
That must vary from state to state. Not true for where I live.
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cincsu
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 4686
Loc: residence in AZ, case in CA
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to clarify this poster said she was in CA and that is the question i was answering. the tax-payor-funded-free-to-you-attorneys as that is where DH's case is in CA.
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wife of 1, mother of 2, stepmother of .3475902453
Edited by cincsu (07/16/10 05:16 PM)
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almostheaven
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 07/13/04
Posts: 10468
Loc: West Virginia
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>>>>>free-to-you-tax-payor-funded-child-support-attorney
This must be a CA thing. I've never heard of it.
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Char Fox
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cincsu
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 4686
Loc: residence in AZ, case in CA
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it's called the family law facilitator. probably just one of the many reasons the state of CA is going broke! lol
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wife of 1, mother of 2, stepmother of .3475902453
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matilda
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/04
Posts: 2092
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I found the information that there is one located in the city of Orange. It says people are served in groups on a first come first served basis. I will just have to have someone watch my D and make a trip down there and see what they say. I just want to see how much I can do on my own to avoid fees while I am still on summer vacation. Thanks so much for your help:)
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cincsu
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 4686
Loc: residence in AZ, case in CA
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are you close to whittier?
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wife of 1, mother of 2, stepmother of .3475902453
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matilda
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/04
Posts: 2092
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Actually very close:)
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