Our Family Law Attorney Fees

When you hire a family law attorney, you should have a clear understanding of how your lawyer will charge you for the legal services they provide. Family law attorneys in Michigan charge for their work in one of two ways: by the hour, or on a flat rate. These fees pay for the lawyer’s time. In addition to attorney’s fees, your family law case may involve additional costs such as filing fees, expert witness fees, and other case expenses. The cost of your family law matter can vary considerably based on the complexity of the matter, the lawyer’s experience, and how contentious the case is.

The family law attorneys at McKinney Vos represent people throughout Michigan. We are committed to putting the well-being of our clients ahead of our bottom line, and we strive to be completely transparent with our fee structure. Our goal is to provide you with peace of mind while we work to achieve an optimal resolution in your family law matter. For answers to your questions and to learn more about how we can help, contact McKinney Vos today.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Family Law Attorney?

While it can be difficult to estimate the exact cost to resolve a divorce, child custody, child support, or other family law matter, our attorneys will give you our best estimate of the total cost to resolve your case. The cost can vary depending on the complexity of the matter, the attorney’s experience, and the billing structure in your case.

How Do You Bill for Your Time?

At McKinney Vos, our family law attorneys bill clients on an hourly rate or for a flat fee, depending on the nature and complexity of your legal matter.

Hourly Rate

When we bill at an hourly rate, we will charge you for every hour or fraction of an hour we spend on your case. You will be charged for consultations, correspondence, phone calls, meetings, preparation of court filings and other documents, court appearances, and other time your lawyer spends working on your case. Your written fee agreement will specify the hourly rate you will be charged and the legal services that will be provided.

Flat Rate

Many family law matters involve too many variables that make calculating a flat rate impossible. However, a flat rate may be appropriate for straightforward legal issues. Under a flat rate, we agree to perform a specific amount of work in exchange for a specific fee. If your matter becomes substantially more complicated or your case moves to a different phase, such as an appeal, we may need to reassess your fee structure and sign a new fee agreement.

Retainer

We require a “retainer” for most family law cases. The retainer is payment in advance for our legal services and must be paid before we begin working on your case. We hold the retainer in our trust account and it belongs to you until it is earned or used for case expenses. Any unused portion of the retainer will be returned to you. Once the retainer amount has been exhausted, we may ask you to refresh the retainer.

Family Law Costs and Case Expenses

In addition to fees for a lawyer’s time, most family law matters involve other costs and case expenses. These may include filing fees, the cost to hire a court report, travel expenses, expert witness fees, fees for service of process, the cost of hiring a private investigator, messenger and overnight delivery costs, the cost of hiring a private mediator, and other case expenses.

Whether we work on an hourly rate or for a flat fee, your written fee agreement will identify who is responsible for paying costs associated with your case, and we will discuss major cases expenses with you before they are incurred.

Awards of Attorney’s Fees

If the other party is ordered to pay your attorney’s fees, you will receive a credit for the amount they paid.

Contact the Michigan Family Law Attorneys at McKinney Vos

Our family law attorneys are pleased to be able to guide our clients in a broad range of Michigan family law matters. We can help you make intelligent decisions that will protect your rights and your future. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help.