Fees
DIVORCE AND FAMILY COURT FEES
The initial in office consultation is FREE for all divorce and family court matters. I will spend the time at the initial in-office consultation to understand your circumstances and assess the legal services needed to best suit your needs. I welcome the opportunity to briefly discuss your situation on the telephone if you call in advance of the in office consultation.
I cannot predict the final fee of a contested divorce case with certainty. No one can accurately predict the measures and strategy that opposing party will undertake in a contested action at the inception of a divorce or family court case. Where a divorce or family court case is already underway, there can be some indication of how much the case will ultimately cost to prosecute or defend. Upon request, I can provide an estimate of the legal costs during the in office consultation. I will provide an estimate for fees for uncontested divorce and for Family Court representation during the in-office consultation as well.
A retainer is required to hire my firm. I always endeavor to set the retainer at a reasonable amount. If you choose to retain my firm, but do not have the entire retainer available, an initial deposit and installment payments can be arranged at the time of retention. Contested divorce clients are charged my standard hourly rate. If you wish to discuss my rates, please feel free to contact me by telephone.
I will strive to get you the best results possible in your divorce or family court matter.
Please contact Long Island Divorce Lawyer H. Michael Stern at 516-747-2290 or 718-DIVORCE to schedule a free in-office consultation to discuss your case in depth.
DIVORCE MEDIATION FEES
The initial consultation for mediation is FREE and takes approximately 45 minutes. My divorce mediation fees are based on the cost of a session. Sessions are an hour and a half long. The number of sessions will be based upon the complexity of the issues to be resolved and the length of time it takes the couple to agree. Please call me for session fees.
Out-of-session communications initiated by either or both of the parties, their attorneys, or their experts are subject to additional charges. Out-of-session communications initiated by me are never charged to the parties.
If you wish to have extended two hour mediation sessions, we can discuss fees for extended session mediation at the initial consultation.
At the conclusion of mediation, I provide the couple with a written Memorandum of Understanding outlining the details of the mediated agreement at no charge.
As I have prepared hundreds of Divorce Agreements, the spouses will be given the option of having me prepare a binding legal separation or marital settlement agreement for them. The cost of the agreement varies and is based on complexity and the number of revisions the couple wishes to make. I will discuss the estimated cost of the separation agreement or marital settlement agreement with the spouses prior to the preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding.
Please contact H. Michael Stern, Esq., Family Lawyer and Divorce Mediator to schedule a free mediation consultation at 516-747-2290. Both spouses must attend the free mediation consultation.
My office is located in Garden City, Nassau County, Long Island NY.