Family law proceedings can become very stressful and costly.
Having a family lawyer represent you in your family law proceedings will help you receive a more favourable property settlement outcome compared to parties who represent themselves. Ensuring you receive proper legal advice can also help reduce stress by providing you with an understanding of your legal rights and the process of family law proceedings.
The last thing on your mind should be excessive legal fees. Your family law fees do not necessarily have to become a burden.
Here are our 10 top tips to help you save money on your family law fees!
1. Get legal advice early
Obtaining advice early in legal proceedings is important so that you and your lawyer can come up with and follow a plan for your matter from the outset. At the end of each meeting with your lawyer, ask about the next step so that you remain up to date.
2. Make a list of questions you want answered before every appointment
Making a list of questions and concerns regarding your matter will result in more efficient appointments with your lawyer. It will also avoid the need for you to contact your lawyer after your appointment to ask any questions you may have forgotten. Remember, lawyers charge based on their time spent on your matter. We also recommend you send your list of questions to your lawyer before your meeting so that your lawyer is prepared.
3. Take notes of discussions with your lawyer
Taking notes during meetings and telephone calls with your lawyer will help you recall what was discussed between you, eliminating the need for you to ask your lawyer the same question twice. This reduces the time you spend speaking with your lawyer which will help reduce your legal fees.
4. Prepare your financial documents
You will usually be required to provide 12 months’ worth of bank statements, your last three tax returns and notices of assessment, recent payslips, and current superannuation statement by way of discovery to the other side. Ensuring that you collate your financial documents in a timely and organised manner will save your lawyer time and help reduce your legal fees even further.
5. Limit your questions to only legal issues
We empathise that family law proceedings can become stressful and emotional. Your family lawyer will support you to the best of their ability. However, your family lawyer is only qualified to give legal advice so keep your discussions with them confined to legal issues. This will ensure your appointments are efficient and help reduce your legal fees. If you need some extra emotional support in this stressful time, we recommend that you arrange an appointment with a counsellor or a psychologist.
6. Try to remain reasonable when undertaking settlement negotiations
When it comes to family law proceedings, both parties will need to make concessions. It can be more productive and cost effective to resolve matters sooner by conceding some issues which may appear important at the time. Avoid being unreasonable or threatening litigation as a way of punishing your ex-partner. If you act unreasonably or refuse to negotiate, you will also be punishing your wallet.
7. Avoid excessively calling your lawyer
We understand waiting to hear from the other party can be nerve racking. Trust that your lawyer will contact you as soon as possible to inform you of any correspondence received from the other party. Excessively calling your lawyer to find out if a reply has been received from the other party will only increase your legal fees. If you only have a basic message for your lawyer, it is best to email them or leave a message with their legal assistant.
8. Provide your lawyer with any information they request
Your lawyer will likely request written instructions or material from you to assist them to prepare correspondence and court documents including affidavits. Providing your lawyer with the written instructions or material they request will result in greater efficiency in preparing any legal documentation and as a result, reduced legal fees.
9. Organise all documents before sending to your lawyer
Before providing your lawyer with any requested documents or information, ensure you organise these documents chronologically and make a list reflecting all the documents provided. Providing an electronic version of the list and documents where possible will also save legal assistants and clerks time and help reduce your legal fees.
10. Finally, respond to your lawyer’s requests in a timely manner!
We cannot stress how important this is! Lawyers have deadlines they must meet, including responding to correspondence from the other side and filing court documents on time. If you don’t want to pay your lawyer to follow up with you or to deal with any fall out from missed deadlines, respond to their requests as soon as possible. You also do not want to give the other side an excuse to claim any legal costs they have incurred because of your delays, so always ensure you respond to your lawyer’s requests promptly.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous ways you can help keep your legal fees as low as possible. Our family lawyers will be happy to discuss and advise you on what you can do to help achieve this throughout your matter.
This is general information only and you should obtain professional advice relevant to your circumstances. If you or someone you know wants more information or needs help or advice, please contact us on 08 8443 4888 or email [email protected].