During the divorce process, child custody guidelines will be established. Decisions will be made about who will have physical custody of the children, who will pay the amount of child support, the number of visits to the non-custodial parent, and other issues related to the well-being of the children. However, at a later date, the circumstances of one or both parents may change, which may require further litigation. At this point, both parents will need to hire a Child support attorney Houston who specializes in such cases. As with medical professionals, these attorneys do not work cheaply, so you should seriously consider your need for this type of attorney before hiring one.
First, you should be prepared to pay an upfront attorney fee known as a power of attorney. When the attorney and her staff begin to bill you based on business hours, the costs will be deducted from your power of attorney. If the case took more hours than expected and all the money in the power of attorney was used up, you will be charged the additional amount. Keep in mind that family law attorneys charge hourly rates that range from $ 75 per hour to $ 500 per hour. The time spent in court will be more expensive. Even if your case is very simple, it could end up costing you between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000. More complex cases that include taking depositions, hiring expert witnesses, investigating the other parent, and time to prepare and conduct a trial, will cost more.
It is difficult to predict in advance how long the custody issue will last. If you and your spouse can reach your own agreements and resolve the matter out of court, then you can save a lot of money. Other custody cases involved can cost $ 35,000 or more because of everything involved. If you decide to go back to court to have your child support withdrawn, you will first need to stop and come up with some solutions. If you need a significant increase in payments just to cover attorney’s fees, the entire lawsuit could be a financial failure for everyone except the attorney.
Other fees can also influence the issue of custody. For example, if you need to buy books that explain the daycare system, expect to pay between $ 12 and $ 100 each. Some attorneys will bill you separately for filing fees, court costs, and miscellaneous expenses. This can add $ 250 or more to your bill. Sometimes it is necessary to work with a broker who charges between $ 80 and $ 250 an hour for their services. You may also be charged for your initial consultation. Therefore, you will need a written estimate of what the entire case will cost before signing anything.
