FEES     A contested divorce can take a significant amount of time to bring to a successful conclusion.  Each time you meet with your attorney, he works on your case, his staff works on your case or you speak with him on the telephone, additional time and money will be used up if he is working on an hourly basis.  Do not use your attorney as a sounding board for the normal bickering that goes on between the parties in a contested divorce.  It will be more helpful if you write down what you want your attorney to know.  If the facts are significant tell the attorney directly, either in person or on the telephone.    The Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit contingency fees in divorce cases except in very limited circumstances.  The famous advertisement statement that "You pay no attorney's fee unless we collect" may have application to a personal injury case, but not to the legal fees in your divorce.     Most matrimonial attorneys in this area charge a flat fee rather than an hourly fee for the work performed by the attorney and his staff.  In some cases an hourly fee may be charged.  If that is the case for your situation,  the attorney will bill $250.00/hour for his time.   You will be billed monthly after the retainer is paid.  You will be expected to pay the bill as it is received.     This law firm requires that a retainer be paid  immediately upon hiring our services.  If money for your retainer is not readily available you may have other sources to rely on, such as advances on credit cards, bank notes, or short term loans from a friend or family members.  The retainer insures that the attorney and his staff will be paid for the time incurred in the case.  We will not proceed in a case until the retainer is paid.  The amount of the retainer will depend upon the complexities for your case.  The retainer may only be a partial payment for the fees in the case, depending upon the time involved in completing the representation.   If you decide to drop your case or to seek other legal representation after the initial documents have been prepared and filed, then no part of the retainer will be returned to you.  If you decide to drop your case or seek other legal representation before any action is taken on your case by this law firm, then your retainer will be returned to you.  If you fail to fully pay your legal fees before your court date or before any settlement has been finalized, we will withdraw from your case and cease representing you.     You are responsible for the payment of your legal fees.  If you are not at fault in the cause of the divorce or if you have had to borrow from a relative to pay your attorney fees, there is a possibility that the Court will treat that debt as a debt of the marriage and require your spouse to reimburse you for all or part of that debt.  In addition, if the attorney representing you asks the Court for an award of an additional fee for his efforts in representing you, that fee will be paid to the lawyer by your former spouse.

The following language is required pursuant to Rule 7.2, Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct

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