What If I Believe My Spouse Should Pay My Attorney Fees?

Talking to friends and family who have gone through divorce, you have likely heard not only about the emotional toll but the expense. It is a reality that the financial cost of divorce can be high. After all, there are the legal expenses, but there are also the fees of setting up a new household and the loss of assets through the division process.

If you want to hire a Bucks County family attorney but believe your spouse should pay for your lawyer fees, connect with a legal professional to have your questions answered.

Learn About How Rates Are Handled

Before agreeing to hiring an attorney, be sure you understand how their fees are structured. There are flat fees, hourly rates, and expenses connected to the length of the case. If you need someone to walk you through how they will charge you, ask them to do so during a free, initial consultation so you are not agreeing to a professional relationship you can’t afford or has unexpected costs.

Then, if you want a judge to award you compensation for your legal fees, you need to know whether a judge will take on the issue of attorney expenses depending on the details of the case. But the following could be factors that will lead to your spouse being held responsible for your legal expenses.

• Income disparities. Analyzing incomes of both spouses is part of a divorce. If one person does not have access to the financial resources they need and another is a higher earner, it is possible legal fee payments and spousal maintenance payments could be awarded.
• Spouse dragged out case. If you have legal fees because your spouse complicated the process of a divorce, it may be possible to have your expenses, or a portion of your expenses, covered by your ex-spouse because they added costs to the divorce.
• One person has financial access. While it is common for spouses to have joint bank accounts, untangling finances during a divorce could lead to one individual having more access to financial resources, for one reason or another. If this is true for you, a judge may award you attorney fees if you do not have access to liquid monetary funds.

Each case needs to be analyzed individually to determine if there is a route to having your attorney fees covered by your spouse. And if there is, a strategy can be developed.

One of the many factors that needs to be understood when divorcing is the financial cost. Connect with a Bucks County family attorney to learn about what expenses you will be facing and how those fees can be settled.

Is it time for you to walk through the financial impact of your divorce? Instead of worrying, connect with the facts that allow you to move forward with confidence. The compassionate legal team at Kardos, Rickles & Hand can help. Share the details of your situation with our attorneys. Then, we can walk you through how much your case could cost and how those fees could be handled. To launch your successful lawyer-client relationship, call 215-968-6602.