Let me just give you a brief vignette why it’s so expensive. I may have in the morning an 8:45 motion hearing that may only take me five minutes to argue, but I am charging my client from the time I leave my office until the time I get back. I’m going down the elevator, get in my car, drive to the courthouse, get parking, walk to the courthouse, fight my way through security, go up the elevator, sign in. Then I’m waiting. Now what do you think attorneys talk about when we’re waiting for our motion hearings to be heard and begin? We try to resolve the issue; but, when we can’t, and I’m talking to Jane and I’m talking to Frank, “How are your kids?” and “How about the game last week?” that’s still rolling on your dime.
I walk into the courtroom. I have to wait for my hearing to be heard. My hearing for five minutes takes place. I get done. I talk briefly with the attorney about what happens next. Then I go down the elevator, out to parking, drive back to my office. So a five-minute hearing may take almost two hours, and double that by two. We may have a number of those hearings. Then we have evidentiary hearings, and then we depositions, and then I’m filing documents for discovery.
In the collaborative process, all that’s removed. We have meetings … four to six meetings. All the financial documents that we’re fighting to get, they’re brought in, because the financial expert says, “I need it,” and the parties are required to do it. You can see those are significant cost-saving factors, and that’s one of the reasons why, although it may not be cheap, it’s certainly far less expensive, to the tune of tens, even sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, for highly-contested divorce.
Board Certified Marital and Family Law Attorney Charles D. Jamieson understands that divorce is an extremely sensitive and important issue. Thanks to extensive experience and a focus on open communication, Attorney Jamieson adeptly addresses the complex issues surrounding divorce while delivering excellent personal service. To discuss the options for marital dissolution, please contact The Law Firm of Charles D. Jamieson, P.A. online or call 561-478-0312.
