Increased unemployment, continuing devaluation of investments, and a severe downturn in the housing market. These financial pressures can strain any marriage, but a survey of divorce lawyers across the county suggests that they are not leading to an increase in divorce. According to a recent article on Avvo, “Survey: ‘Divorce Down, Post-nuptials Up’” , family law attorneys across the country are reporting a slight decrease in clients seeking divorce, and a large increase in requests for post-nuptial agreements.

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You get what you pay for. When you hire a family law attorney you usually pay for his time, neatly broken down into 6 minute increments. This is called hourly billing. Every month, you get a bill detailing the time that was spent on your case and how much this time has cost you. The more time the lawyer spends on your case, the more you pay. With hourly billing, you do not directly pay for the lawyer to resolve your legal issues or solve your problems, you simply pay for his time. At some point during your case you may ask your lawyer, “how much more is this going to cost?” The typical response, if you are paying your lawyer by the hour, is that it depends on how much more time is required. This billing arrangement is unpredictable and rewards inefficiency. You never really know how much your divorce, custody, or support issue will cost until it is resolved. And the longer it takes the lawyer to accomplish a task, the more money you’ll be charged. Read more of this post.