Fixed fee or fixed price divorce lawyers offer services at a fixed fees no matter how long the legal service takes. Most divorce or family lawyers charge by an hourly rate whereas fixed price or flat rate divorce lawyers give you one fee for the work no matter how long it takes. However, you should note that fixed prices aren’t available for every family law case.
Who are fixed fee family lawyers for?
At Cudmore Legal our experienced family lawyers understand that you may not want to incur excessive legal fees. This is best avoided by coming to an agreement with your former spouse about what you want to do with your property or children and then formalising that agreement with the help of lawyers. Our fixed fee family lawyers offer fixed fee pricing to people in cases where they have already reached an agreement with their former spouse or in divorce applications.
Your rights to fixed costs
Lawyers are to give clients written information about how costs will be calculated, this rule applies to fixed fees. You should speak with your lawyer to find out if all or a portion of your legal work can be fixed fee.
Benefits of fixed fees in family law
The benefits of having a fixed fee:
- Confidence in the legal process
- Ability to plan your legal fee costs
- No hidden costs
Downsides of fixed fees
While it sounds good some downsides of fixed fees in divorce or family law matters include:
- Cookie cutter approach
- Depending on the case and family law matter, a fixed fee family lawyer price may not be as cost-effective
- Fixed fee service might not include extra advice that you require
- Process-oriented rather than people-orientated
What fixed fee divorce family law services can we offer?
We can offer several fixed price services including:
- Divorce Applications
- Binding Financial Agreements
- Consent Orders
- Single court appearances (for example, as part of a divorce application or domestic violence order)
Fixed Fee Divorce Applications
While you can do a divorce application yourself some of our clients prefer to do it with the assistance of a lawyer. A divorce application is only part of the family law separation process, it doesn’t include children or property issues. You may be eligible to apply for fixed fee divorce lawyer’s prices if you:
- Have been separated for at least one year
- Your spouse consents to the divorce
- You don’t have children under 18
You don’t have matrimonial assets (a property settlement) to deal with
If any of the above apply you may still be entitled to fixed fee divorce package options.
Fixed Fee Consent Orders
Consent orders have the same legality as an official court order, they are a court order but that are done by consent which means parties agree to what is on the order and the court merely acts to formalise that agreement. Learn more about Consent Orders and our Fixed Fees here.
Fixed Fee Financial Agreements
Sometimes rather than consent orders parties will prefer to do a Binding Financial Agreement.
Why don’t we advertise our fixed fees on our website?
We believe every case is unique, and you might require more or less fixed fee work than other clients depending on what you are able to or willing to do to reduce your costs. To get an accurate assessment of your fixed fee prices please contact us on (07) 3317 8346.
