This is the golden goose question, the golden ticket question, the one that is almost impossible to answer.
The good news is that it is not as difficult to answer as some lawyers would have you believe. If a lawyer has been practicing for 5 to 10 years or longer, they should have an estimate about a range of what a divorce might cost.
How Much Is a Divorce Lawyer In Florida?
In my professional experience, I have handled divorces that cost between $1,500 and up to $250,000. This is a huge range! It’s no wonder professional attorneys hesitate to answer “How much does a divorce lawyer cost?” over the phone or through email.
Ultimately, it all depends on what the attorney does for you.
For instance, the average collaborative divorce results in each spouse spending up to $20,000, which is less than couples spend in a traditional divorce. However, even among traditional divorces, your costs will differ depending on whether you went to trial and other factors.
One of the biggest determining factors, of course, is your divorce lawyer’s hourly rate. The national average cost of a divorce lawyer is $270/hour, with 55% of people surveyed paying an average of $350 per hour or more. According to the 2020 CLIO Legal Trends Report, the average hourly rate in Florida for divorce lawyers is $300 per hour.
So if the national average for hours worked on a divorce is 50 hours (not including a trial) and the average hourly rate for Florida Divorce Lawyers is $300 per hour, you can expect to pay an average of $15,000. If you need a trial, a reasonable expected cost would be about $30,000 or more.
The good news, however, is that there are ways to spend considerably less.
Lowering the Cost of Divorce in Florida
One of the simplest ways to lower the cost of your divorce is to come to an agreement as early as possible about as many topics as possible. If you have an uncontested divorce, where you and your spouse agree on everything, we can probably get it done for you from start to finish for somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000.
If you’re interested in mediation, Leap Frog Divorce offers flat fees or fixed fees for some cases starting at $4,500.
Leap Frog Divorce also offers a sliding scale for attorney’s fees. You may qualify for this discounted pricing if one or more of the following exists:
- Your annual income is less than $100,000;
- You are active military;
- You are a military veteran;
- You are a Florida teacher;
- You are a first responder (law enforcement, fire department, etc.).
We also offer a “pay as you go” option. You can hire us for just one part of your case if want.
For example, if you want to hire us to prepare your initial documents to be filed with the court, we can do that! If you want to hire us to simply represent you at a mediation, not a problem! If you want to hire us to help you negotiate with your spouse, we can do that!
The choices you have are almost limitless with Leap Frog Divorce.
How Much Does a Divorce Cost In Florida?
While I can give you an estimate, no one can give you clear answers on your divorce lawyer cost without hearing the specifics of your situation.
We encourage you to give us a call and schedule a consultation to find out how we can best help you solve your legal problem. Use our online contact form to reach out to us so we can discuss the details and give you the clearest possible picture of what to expect.
Divorce is one of the hardest things most couples will ever go through, but at Leap Frog, we see no reason why your divorce attorney should make it worse. Our proven strategies and a track record of putting our clients first is changing the game in Orlando and we look forward to working with you.
