9 Secrets to Keeping Attorney's Fees and Costs Low in a Divorce

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Author: Sharmeela Kawos
• Publication year: 2021
• Citation: Vol. 43 No. 1

9 Secrets to Keeping Attorney's Fees and Costs Low in a Divorce

Sharmeela Kawos

Ms. Sharmeela Kawos exclusively practices Family Law and Domestic Relations. Originally from Afghanistan, Ms. Kawos is a 20-year California resident. She achieved her Doctorate in Jurisprudence, with an emphasis in Family Law and Intellectual Property Law from Golden Gate University, School of Law. Before joining Law Offices of David M. Lederman, Ms. Kawos performed employment and human resources legal compliance for Uber Technologies, Inc., where she managed Uber's legal employment and business contracts and policies globally. Ms. Kawos is an active member of California Lawyers Association, an executive member of California Young Lawyers Association, Liaison to the Family Law Section, a member of California Lawyers Association's Strategic and Long-Range Planning Committee, and a member of CLA's Member Engagement Committee. She is also on the Board of Contra Costa County Bar Association, Family Law Section and the current Legislation Director.

I can't stress enough the importance of being cognizant of your client's attorney's fees and costs. As we all know, there is no winning in a divorce. Both parties suffer a loss. What's worse is knowing you are burning through children's college funds because the parties are unable (or unwilling) to agree about even the most basic issues. As an attorney, you must be heavily involved in management and communications regarding your client's attorney's fees. Staying involved and helping your client make reasonable decisions can help save them thousands of dollars and prevent high unpaid client bills in collections. Below are ten tips for keeping attorney's fees and costs low in a divorce.

1. Set Standards and Guidelines.

The secret starts with the initial conversation. Once you agree to take on the case, you need to set your standards and guidelines on billing. Reserving five to ten minutes at the end of your consult to review your legal services agreement with the client will go a long way. Set your expectations on what information or documents you want and the manner you want them organized. Do more than just listening to their stories and giving them legal advice. Explain to them your firm's policies and procedures. Share what method of communication with you is most efficient and productive. Explain how and when they can get a hold of you if they have questions. Explain your timelines and inform your clients during the initial consultation how often they can expect updates. Tell them how they may connect with your staff if you are unavailable. To take it one step forward, create a brief policies and procedures guideline for your new clients that they can use as a reference later. This will help set expectations.

At the end of every consult, I share with my clients how we work as a firm. I detail our billing rate and standards. I explain the billing program we use and the manner in which they are billed. I suggest to them how they can help keep their attorney's fees and costs low. I...