Middletown, NY Divorce Law Firms & Lawyers

Leaving the house would be abandonment and it would hurt you in terms of custody issues, the right to return to the house, and maybe even lock you into paying more than you are legally required to pay. Rather than leaving, why not have her served a divorce summons? Many people go through the process while living together until an agreement about a move can be made. She will be forced to hire a lawyer once your lawyer has her served and starts the court process. Good luck.

You have the right to ask your attorney to provide an accounting of how he invoiced you for the initial retainer. Retainers are generally despoits, not flat fees for work, so if he expended more time on your case then he needs to account for that time and invoice you. You have the right to fire your lawyer and get a new lawyer or try and represent yourself (representing yourself may not be in your best interest and switching may cause delays). On a positive note, getting a contested divorce case resolved in 7 months is a good thing, as many New York divorces drag on much longer. If you are close to being finished, it may be better (ie. cheaper/faster) to keep pressing your lawyer to listen to what you want and settle the case. Also, spouses in a divorce are usually permitted to talk -- provided there is no court order preventing you from talking to your spouse, tell them you want to settle. This way your spouse can tell his/her lawyer and they can press your lawyer too.    Good luck!