What if I don’t think I can pay for my divorce?

Anyone can afford a divorce. Bar Associations offer free legal services for spouses who cannot pay. Divorce courts can adjudicate or assess your legal fees against your spouse on an interim basis. Many lawyers will accept your case conditioned upon the award of reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees at the initial hearing. If you must use your separate property funds to obtain a divorce lawyer, the court should reimburse you for those funds used to obtain your lawyer.

Additionally, the funds can be recovered in the settlement reached with your spouse. Selecting a lawyer to represent you in your divorce is more than just picking a name. It means establishing a close and sensitive relationship that will continue for months. In order to find the right lawyer for you, get names of family lawyers from professionals you know, from organizations such as The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and The American College of Family Trial Lawyers. All of these organizations are on the Internet and have websites that may easily be found through any general search engine. You can afford a divorce.

John Nichols, Sr. practices family law in Houston. He has been listed as one of the best matrimonial lawyers in the U.S. in several journals and magazines including National Law Journal and Town & Country.