How Much Does a Divorce Lawyer Charge for a Retainer? (Idaho)

Hi S.,

It doesn't actually matter how much of a retainer he charges (well, except it matters to you!!!! lol). He will deduct the amount of work that he does from the retainer - leaving a 'balance' for him to 'spend'. As you drain down the retainer, you will get to his 'threshold' and he will ask you to 'replenish' before he does any more work for you.

Some lawyers use the retainer to 'get started' and others try to determine how much it will cost and then have the retainer cover most of the charges. That way they don't nickel and dime you.

It's the per hour charge you want to consider. Find out HOW he bills.....if he bills by the hour or by the QUARTER HOUR - this is actually VERY important. Some lawyers charge by the hour. So if he does 30 minutes or 15 minutes or 45 minutes of work for you at a a time it will cost you $150. Try to find someone who bills by the quarter hour.

You'll pay the same amount in the end, regardless of how much you give him up front as a retainer anyway. If you like him and you feel like he will do a good job that is what you should consider.

Good Luck.
B.

I think my parents lawyers are charging $4000 for their retainer fee. We are in PA though, it could be more expensive here.

I am shocked at how much it actually costs. I wish you the best.

The retainer tends to be based on what the attorney thinks it will cost him to execute your divorce. My attorney is $300 an hour but only charged a $5,000 retainer. After going through my divorce if I ever drag my ex back to court or the other way around he will be asking for a $50,000 retainer. Seriously!!

The retainer amount requested is reasonable. In Utah, standard divorce retainers are anywhere from $1500 to $7500. The hourly rate is just about what you would expect an attorney with 2-5 years experience to charge per hour. Take a look at the fee agreement. Most attorneys will bill by the tenth of an hour. They bill against the retainer to a certain amount and then expect you to either replenish the retainer or pay your outstanding balance every month. Just remember that attorneys sell time. Thus, every phone call and email will likely be billed. So, make sure that your correspondence and communication with the attorney is something you are willing to pay for. Also remember that attorneys are good listeners. But most of us do not have psychology degrees and won't be able to solve those kinds of problems. Good luck.

sounds right. I was just told $2500 also but with $275 an hour.

Depends on how complicated your divorce is. My divorce entailed NO children and NO house. My now ex and I agreed upon splitting up the cars and property, so we were able to hire just one lawyer to do the paperwork and make it all official. Cost us $1200 total ($600 from the ex, $600 from me). I actually ended up getting about $100 back from the lawyer at the end of it all since he didn't use it all up (didn't tell the ex that I got the change) :)

So $2500 or $1500 sounds about right. And a few years ago, the economy is different. This lawyer probably is 'overbidding' to ensure he gets paid. If he told you $1500, and it ended up costing $2000 = pain in the butt for the both of you. If you pay extra upfront, he can go about his work knowing you've already paid him basically. He won't doubt your ability to pay in the end.

My divorce attorney requested a $5000 retainer, technically she charged $250 an hour. But she never did charge me anything beyond my original retainer. And yeah, after working for me for a year (though we did not go to court, that's where the BIG money comes in), at $250 an hour, I'm pretty sure I was well past my $5k retainer. I was very happy with her service. This is in upstate NY.

My guy's attorney fees however, are up over $100k, and three years later, he is still not divorced. :(

I think every lawyer, and every situation is dramatically different.

:)