How Fees Work
If you have spent years in a relationship where the financial rules kept changing, the last thing you need is an attorney whose bills are unpredictable too.
You should never be afraid to ask a question.
Most divorce attorneys bill by the hour. Every phone call, every email, every question adds to your bill. You never know what your case will cost until it is over. That system rewards silence. It trains you not to reach out when you need help.
I do it differently. I use flat fees. Your case is divided into stages, and each stage has a set fee that you agree to in advance. You know what each step costs before we take it. And you can reach out with questions, by text, email, or the portal, without worrying about the bill.
No one should have to do math before deciding whether to ask their attorney a question.
Four stages. You only pay for what you need.
Not every case goes through all four stages. Many cases reach a negotiated agreement before depositions or trial. You only pay for stages you actually reach.
Stage 1: Negotiated Agreement
Stage 2: Court Involvement
Stage 3: Depositions and Discovery
Stage 4: Pre-Trial Conference and Trial
A contested divorce billed by the hour in New York often runs into six figures, and no one can tell you the ceiling in advance. My flat fees begin at $15,000 for a divorce without children that resolves by agreement, and $20,000 where there are children, because custody and parenting issues add real work. A contested case that moves through court is more, and unlike an hourly bill, it is known and capped stage by stage.
Your exact stage fees depend on your situation. I give them to you in your strategy session and spell them out in your retainer agreement before you sign anything. No surprises.
If your case settles early, you are not paying for stages you never reach.
If your case reaches a negotiated agreement during Stage 1, within the first year, you pay the Stage 1 fee and nothing more. If it settles in a later stage, the Stage 1 fee is the only minimum. Everything after it is my time at a set hourly rate, and I can never keep more than the stage fees you were charged. If my time comes to less than you paid, the difference comes back to you. The full terms are in your retainer agreement, and I will walk you through them.
If you ever need to change attorneys, you can end our relationship at any time. You only pay for time actually spent on your case, and whatever you overpaid is returned to you.
What is included?
Legal advice, strategy, all communication with me, negotiation, document preparation, court appearances, two motions in each stage once your case is in court, and discovery through the applicable stage. Preparation of the final agreement and Judgment of Divorce is also included.
Out-of-pocket costs like filing fees, process servers, and transcripts are billed separately. Expert fees are separate and always approved by you in advance. Nothing is charged without your knowledge.
Questions I hear most often
Can I really reach out without extra charges?
Yes. Communication is included in every stage, so reaching out never adds to your bill. Text, email, or message me through the portal whenever you need to, and I respond within one business day, usually sooner. I also hold telephone office hours most mornings if you want to talk something through, and we set up longer meetings as your case needs them. You should never feel like asking a question is going to cost you money. That is the whole point.
What am I likely looking at?
A case that resolves by agreement starts at the Stage 1 fee: $15,000 in a divorce without children, $20,000 where there are children. A contested case that goes through court runs higher, and you only ever pay for the stages your case actually reaches. For comparison, the hourly alternative for a contested New York divorce often runs into six figures, with no predictable ceiling. Your exact stage fees depend on your situation, which is what we cover in the strategy session, and everything is in writing before you sign.
What if my spouse drags this out?
This is what the staged structure is built for. You are never locked into the full cost of a four-stage case from the start. If your spouse escalates, the case moves forward one stage at a time, and I tell you in writing before any new stage fee is due.
A spouse can also try to wear you down by stalling, letting the calendar drag without moving the case anywhere. Once your case moves into Stage 2, that costs you nothing extra. The court controls the timeline, not you, and you are never charged for the wait. The only place time itself carries a fee is Stage 1. That first stage covers up to a year of work toward a settlement, measured from the day your agreement takes effect. If a full year passes and your case is still in Stage 1, whether or not it has been filed, a continuation fee covers each additional year I keep carrying it, and I tell you in writing before it ever applies. Like every fee after the first stage, it is earned by time actually spent, and the unearned part comes back to you. Once your case moves into Stage 2, the fee ends, no matter how long things take.
I already have a lawyer. Can I switch to you mid-case?
Yes, and it happens more often than you would think. If you have lost confidence in your representation, the fear of switching should not be the reason you stay. The switch itself is simple: I prepare the substitution paperwork and get your file from your prior attorney. The file is yours, and you are entitled to it.
Taking over a pending case means doing the work of Stage 1 on deadlines the court has already set: learning your case, mastering the file and the motion history, setting the strategy, and pressing the negotiation toward settlement. So a mid-case retention is priced as Stage 1 plus the stage your case is entering, and you never pay for stages that were finished before I arrived. Your exact fees are set in your strategy session and in writing before you sign, and from there every rule on this page works the same for you as for any other client.
How is this different from an hourly retainer?
With hourly billing, your attorney has a financial incentive to take longer. With flat fees, my incentive is to work efficiently and resolve your case as smartly as possible. We are on the same side of the table.
Can I pay by the hour instead?
A flat fee is how I prefer to work, and it is what I recommend, because it keeps my incentives aligned with resolving your case rather than extending it. It is not the only option. If you would rather carry the timing risk yourself and pay only for the hours your case takes, we can do that. I will walk you through both at your strategy session so you can choose the one that fits you.
The first step is a free 15-minute call.
No commitment. No pressure. Just a conversation.