Cost of Divorce

THE TOTAL COST WILL DEPEND ON SEVERAL FACTORS: ·

• The total cost of your case will depend on several things. THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE PARTIES AND THEIR ATTORNEYS ARE WILLING TO WORK COOPERATIVELY toward a solution is the biggest variable in the cost of a divorce. Blonska & Kaufman, LLP, is committed to working toward settlements and avoiding costly and time-consuming legal battles. We encourage our clients to be reasonable, and when the parties are working well together, we do not become "deal busters" just to run up legal fees through protracted fighting. In fact, when the parties have already agreed to most things, before contacting us, we can do the paper work to finalize the divorce for a minimal fee. On the other hand, there are times where an aggressive and firm stance is required in order to protect our client's rights, and in those cases, we do vigorous battle for our clients with every weapon available.
• THE AMOUNT AND COMPLEXITY OF ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS inevitably impact the cost of a divorce. If the assets and obligations are extensive and complicated in their nature, sorting out the appropriate shares for an equal division of Community Property may take some work.
• ISSUES INVOLVING CUSTODY OF CHILDREN may be complex. What the parenting plan will be (that is, which parent will have the children for what part of the time) can sometimes become contentious, especially since, in California, the amount of time each parent has with the children affects the amount of child support required. To the extent the parents can agree on a parenting plan, the legal costs will be less.
• ISSUES INVOLVING CHILD SUPPORT will require an analysis of the respective earnings and expenses of the spouses, the number of children, and the amount of time each parent will be spending with the children. In California, these variables are inserted into a computer program which then gives a "Guideline Support" which the court must follow in entering its order. Blonska & Kaufman, LLP, has this computer program and can quickly provide estimates of child support, pending final determination of the exact variables, at which time the support can be computed precisely. To the extent these variables are complex or simple, the legal costs will be more or less.
• ISSUES INVOLVING SPOUSAL SUPPORT depend on, among other things, the length of the marriage, the amount of and disparity between each partner’s ability to earn, and the actual income and expenses of each spouse. To the extent these variables are complex or simple, the legal costs will be more or less.
• THE RATES AND EFFICIENCY OF THE ATTORNEY can make one of the biggest differences in the cost of a divorce. If a lawyer is inefficient or carelessly allows unnecessary, contentious fights, the number of hours billed can be very high. The key to holding down costs is to have an average billing rate that is reasonable, and a firm which is committed to doing things efficiently, in the least amount of time consistent with the results. Obviously, there are times when an attorney has to battle all-out, because of the importance of the money or the issues involved. When that is the case, Blonska & Kaufman, LLP puts its full litigation experience and aggressive abilities into play.