Westminster, TX Divorce Law Firms & Lawyers

A typical divorce attorney charges anywhere between $300-600 per hour depending upon the lawyer's level of experience, location, and current workload.Many divorce attorneys offer an initial consultation for a flat fee.  A few may offer free consultations, but my advice is to steer clear of those.  I personally offer a 90-minute initial consultation for a low flat fee of $500.  This is fairly representative of what to expect in the North Texas area.The amount of your initial retainer depends on the complexity of your marital estate, whether there are minor children, the county where you live, and how aggressively you anticipate your husband will be in any divorce proceeding.  For a relatively simple divorce without children involving a straightforward marital estate, I routinely request an initial retainer of $5,000.  If the parties are in relative agreement and disagreements do not arise regarding issues the spouses haven't thought of before filing and the spouses put in the legwork instead of requiring a paralegal or attorney to hunt down information from third party sources, we can occasionally complete a divorce for that sum of money depending on the court the case is assigned to.  This is not typical, however.Ordinarily, funds from the community estate will be used to pay for each party's attorney.  If one spouse does not have access to those funds, the court can order interim attorney fees to be paid from any account that is part of the parties' marital estate.  

It all depends on the facts of your case. For example, how were titles held, what contributions you made towards the purchase of items, or if you held yourselves out as married and filed joint returns, etc. As a mother, you and your ex would need to agree on custody of the minor children or the court would have to decide and award child support accordingly. You are best off consulting with an attorney to find out your rights. This response is intended to provide general information only and is not a substitute for speaking to an attorney. This response does not create an attorney client relationship between the Anita Webster, Esq. or Webster & Associates and the readers.