Pricing

We all want great service at a fair price. That’s a reasonable expectation, but estimating the cost of a divorce or other family law matter can be a challenge. We generally charge for divorce and family law matters by the hour, with each member of our team billing at a rate commensurate with experience and position at the firm. Hourly rates are typically in the hundreds of dollars per hour range. Because cases can last anywhere from two months to two years, there is a wide spectrum of potential costs. The more we know, the better we can set your expectation, so schedule a consultation for the best assessment.

Remember, no case ends until both parties agree to settle all issues or until the judge rules after trial. This is true whether your case is a divorce, custody, modification, or contempt, and so on. By and far, most cases settle, with less than 5% going to trial. But, there’s a wide spectrum as to when in the process a case might resolve. You know more than anyone how reasonable the other party will likely be, and how likely he or she will engage in a cooperative and constructive manner. You also likely have a sense of whether we should expect urgent issues requiring immediate and substantial work.

There are variables that go into the cost of representation, some outside of our control, but we always strive to work as efficiently and effectively as we can to deliver maximum value and client satisfaction.

Divorce & Family Law Hourly Fee Pricing & Billing

You’ll pay an initial payment, typically $1,000 to $2,500, called a “retainer,” when you hire the firm to represent you in your divorce or family law matter. We deposit the retainer funds in the firm’s trust account, also known as our IOLTA. The retainer is held for the duration of the representation and you’ll pay the legal fees and costs associated with your case when you get your statement each week. At the conclusion of the representation, your retainer is returned to you, less any outstanding fees or costs due at that time.

Determining Your Retainer

Your retainer amount depends on where your case is in the process and whether we expect it to be contested. If your case is not yet filed and we expect to file only when we have a complete, signed agreement, then you’ll pay a $1,000 retainer. If we expect to file a contested matter or the case is already filed, you’ll pay a $2,500 retainer. If the case is filed, contested, and approaching or past the pretrial conference stage, we may take a larger retainer. A trial retainer could be significantly larger. The retainer amount may be less if we are representing you in a limited capacity or in our Justice for All program. Mediation and coaching clients pay a $1,000 retainer. Whatever category you fall into, the funds you put in trust with us are yours until billed and we refund whatever is left at the end of the representation.

Billing Statements

Whenever any member of our team performs work on your file, a short description is entered into our case management software for billing purposes. At the conclusion of each week, we’ll run the billing and send you a statement that sets forth all the activity on your file, the amount of time spent on each activity, who performed the activity, and the corresponding hourly rate. Attorneys charge between $275/hour to $425/hour depending on experience and expertise, and as low as $100 an hour in our Justice for All program. Paralegals and Legal Assistants bill $125/hour and $75/hour respectively.

Justice for All Program | Reduced Fee Limited Assistance Representation

Family law cases tend to deal with the most important issues in people’s lives. Yet about 80% of those in family court proceed without representation, either because they cannot afford to hire an attorney or because they are turned away by pro bono providers.  In an effort to address this issue, Turco Legal has established the Justice for All Program. Here is how it works.

The Justice for All Program delivers reduced fee representation at a discounted attorney rate. The program provides associate attorney representation at either $100 or $150 an hour, depending on your eligibility, and our assessment as to the complexity of your case. Because the representation is limited, you may choose to have your attorney manage your entire case or limited portions of the case only. For example, you may choose to hire Turco Legal to represent you at a specific court hearing or to negotiate a settlement out of court.

Justice for All Program: Eligibility & Pricing

Here is what you should know about eligibility and pricing.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program:

• You must make $100,000 or less annually; and,
• You must not have significant assets from which our regular rates could be paid.

Pricing & Process

• If we accept your case into the program, you’ll pay a retainer to start, between $1,000 and $2,500. Your retainer will be held in our attorney IOLTA (trust) account for the duration of the representation.
• You will pay a reduced attorney rate between $100 and $150 an hour for associate attorney representation and our regular rates for all other staff.
• We reserve the right to decline representation or require a senior attorney to serve as lead counsel, based on the complexity of your case.
• We may also decline representation based on our capacity to take on work as we have a limited amount of reduced fee work we’re able to take on at any one time.
• You may choose to complete tasks in the case instead of the attorney as a cost control and savings measure.
• We will bill weekly on your case. We typically run billing on Friday afternoons and charge your payment method in an amount equal to the work performed for the week. These funds briefly increase your trust account balance, against which the week’s billing is applied, thereby resulting in all fees for the week being paid while maintaining your required retainer balance in our attorney trust account.
• If your payment method fails, we will apply your existing funds held in trust to the balance due. We’d then speak with you to determine whether you’d like us to replenish the trust account and continue the representation.
• If you’re unable or unwilling to replenish your trust balance and stay current with ongoing fees, we’d likely terminate the representation immediately.

This may seem a bit complicated, but the program delivers a powerful result: associate attorney representation at less than half our lowest hourly rate. If you’re interested in our Justice for All Program, please schedule a consultation.

Costs & Expenses of Divorce & Family Law Cases

Regardless of whether you hire an attorney, it’s important that you consider the other costs associated with a divorce or other family law case. Most case types require that you pay a filing fee and the cost of the summons to the clerk of court. Most cases also require personal service of process. This means you’ll need to pay an additional fee to the sheriff or to a constable, who will properly serve the initial court documents upon the other party.

The rest of your expenses will coincide with the discovery you do and the professionals you hire to assist with the case. If you take a deposition, for example, you’ll incur the stenographer’s “sitting fee.” You’ll also incur charges for the deposition transcript, typically billed by the page. If you send a records request to a third party, such as a bank, that party will likely charge you for its work in compiling the records. Whether you have an attorney or not, you should do a cost-benefit analysis on each part of your discovery plan before putting it into action.

Pro Bono Family Law Representation

Our attorneys do take on pro bono clients who are not obligated to pay us any fees. We are selective in the cases we take on and always start with limited representation. To be eligible for the program you must demonstrate: (1) a compelling need for legal help; (2) a lack of financial resources to afford regular or reduced fee representation; (3) a family law case, such as a divorce, custody, support, modification, or contempt; and, (4) that a legal aid organization has declined to take on your case. We assist most pro bono clients in helping them strategize their cases and drafting documents they can file in the court. We also go to court on some, but few, cases and argue on the client’s behalf.

Pro Bono Estate Planning

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently providing free simple estate planning to medical providers who have a higher likelihood of becoming exposed to the virus. Individuals with net worths of over $1,000,000 are excluded from the program as they are more likely to encounter estate tax issues and, accordingly, require more expertise. Anyone else working in a medical facility and living in Massachusetts qualifies for our program. We make the process as efficient as possible and ask that you provide us with a positive online review reflecting your experience with the firm. Schedule a consultation with our office to start the process.

How Much Will My Case Cost?

This is undoubtedly the question you’re asking. To determine the answer, we need to know more about the case. The best way to figure it out for your case is through an attorney consultation. To schedule one, call our main number at 866-995-6663 or schedule online here.