My total ended up being fairly reasonable. It'll be worth it if XAH ever pays the back child support. (Child Support Services could only make CS payments due to the date I filed, and I'd waited way too long believing his "I'll bring a check next time I see DS". My attorney recommended I ask for CS from the date I left XAH, and that's what the court awarded.)
However, part of what I paid was the flat fee for my first attorney. I will just say, the flat rate attorney would have been fine IF there hadn't been issues with custody, alcoholism and abuse, i.e. if it was an amicable divorce. I had thought XAH would just let me go, not the case at all; it was definitely not amicable. Also note: the fee had to be paid up front; there was really no reason for him to put in too many hours after he'd already been paid. It was a very expensive lesson.
I also think though, that the attorney I switched to didn't bill me for all of her time or work. For all of the work and help she provided, her bill seems a little lower than my estimates.
One family law attorney that I spoke to, who specialized in DV and/or abuse cases, had a $6,000 retainer and an hourly fee of $450, and noted a ball-park of $30,000 total. Ummmm, ouch. (This is NOT the one I went with.)
Edit: this doesn't include the costs for counseling for DS, just the legal fees
Last edited by theuncertainty; 03-10-2011 at 01:42 PM.
Reason: as noted