Tonight's post on affordability and the high cost of attorney fees was written by one of our Marietta divorce attorneys, Naomi Lumpkin.Going through a divorce can be an expensive process. It is one thing to have to deal with the cost of moving, potentially...
Affordability
Legal Services – Affordability Not Just a Dream Any More
Four years ago, I had a dream. I dreamed that Michael and our team at The Manely Firm, PC could expand access to justice for all through affordability. Then in law school, I dreamed that we could hire and train newly-minted attorneys seeking work to offer...
Affordability – Controlling Your Costs, Part I
Let's talk about affordability, how to take control of the costs on your case. Even when the opposing party or counsel want to make trouble and increase your costs, there are steps you can take to help keep your costs down and avoid some of that trouble.You can comply...
Trying to Walk the Walk
I like George Washington. I really like Abraham Lincoln, but I revere Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King asserted, "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philathropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which makes...
How Attorneys Are Affordable
In many cases, hiring an attorney can pay for itself, making us extremely affordable. I'll give you an example.A couple of months ago, a client came to me to talk about a contempt action his ex-wife had filed against him. She was seeking $8,000.00 in...
But it was just a divorce!
As our nation comes further out of the recession, I'm watching the discussion of affordability in divorce drop farther and farther into the background, away from polite conversation. But now that money may be somewhat more available for working families, this...
Let’s Get Real
Tonight I'm going to write about billable hourly rates. This is the real world business of family law and it's impact on you couldn't be greater.The other day, one of our attorneys was consulting with a potential client who was considering retaining us....
Affordability
Lately there has been a strong trend against affordability in family law. In other words, there has been a strong trend toward increasing costs. A tried and true way to increase costs in family law is to deny the obvious. Let me give you a few...
Affordability: Working for a flat fee
I was speaking with a client the other day about how attorneys bill. Like all smart clients, he was concerned about affordability. He asked me about an arrangement he'd seen another firm offer, a flat fee. He asked me how that worked."The theory is...
High Praise
We are conducting our year end analysis of all things that can be analyzed. It is how we constantly improve our efficient delivery of affordable legal services, at least as much as one can when, on occasion, a well paid adversary is using his best efforts to muck up...