FAMILY LAW BLOG


Tips & resources to help you make
informed decisions
Welcome to Moe Hannah’s blog. Sign up to stay updated with our latest posts.

Tips to limit your legal fees during a divorce

No one wants to be financially devastated by a separation or divorce. We want to help you resolve family disputes in a cost efficient way and have included a few tips to help you understand how you can control legal costs.

 

  1. Bundle your emails
    Email has come to replace letters and phone calls in many cases. It may be tempting to email your lawyer each time you have a small question or observation to make. Cost can be limited by limiting your email correspondence. Try sending larger emails just once or twice a week, or even less often if there is no urgency involved.
  1. When you can, work out day-to-day, practical issues with your former spouse
    Where your relationship with your estranged or former spouse allows, work out practical issues (e.g., changing a parenting time) with them rather than calling your lawyer.
  1. Keep your financial documents organized
    Provide your lawyer with the financial documents requested in a clear and organized way. Providing requested information quickly would also minimize communication between lawyers who may be inclined to repeat requests or send reminders. If you are going through a divorce, expect almost no financial privacy (though your financial information will remain between the parties and lawyers as long as court is not involved).
  1. Organize your communications with your lawyer
    Keep your correspondence with your lawyer organized so past communications may be easily accessed.
  1. Sleep on it
    When your spouse has upset you, sleep on it before bringing your lawyer into the loop.
  1. Try to create a respectful relationship with your former spouse
    And by far the most important factor, work hard towards creating and maintaining a respectful, business-like relationship with your former spouse, even if he or she is a jerk. Nothing will drive large fees like hostility.

Methods of Payment

Most of our clients pay their monthly accounts by credit card. The traditional request for retainers of thousands of dollars, held in a lawyer’s trust account until applied to accounts, is no longer the rule where the client has provided an authorization to charge their Visa or MasterCard (sorry, we don’t take American Express).

 

Clients may also pay by cash (not common), debit or, in some cases by cheque, but this is usually done on a retainer basis.

 

Learn more about how our fees work here>>