Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Have appointment with lawyer... :(

Well I just got a call back from the lawyer. I have a first meeting with her setup.

Costs $200 an hour. UGH.

Oh well.
this sucks.

that is all.
Posted by at

9 comments:

  1. JimJune 2, 2009 at 1:28 PM

    Ouch. None of my beez, but what's the retainer - Arm, Leg, or Both?

    Again so sorry for this ordeal.

    ReplyDelete
  2. FooFooJune 2, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    I don't know, I didn't know to ask that :o

    I am just going for a consultation next Thursday (first time I'm in town during the week)...

    she seems nice. :/ .. i guess.
    she asked me if I'm going to contest it. I said "I really don't know ma'am."

    blah.
    I guess I have to figure that out. Hopefully she'll be able to give me information about it one way or another.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JimJune 2, 2009 at 1:37 PM

    For reference: Mine was 250/hr and a retainer of 2500. The retainer is, this is what it costs to even use the services. I am guessing, for example, you can't sign up for three hours, pay 750, and go home. The retainer is the "floor."

    Since you don't have kids, this shouldn't be that hard. I am guessing that TN law calls for a straight split of assets. That should be easy, and (my own 2¢) I recommend contesting as little of that as possible.

    Here is where it gets tricky - I tried to convey this in MM. Say that he (his atty) argues that he is unemployable, because of PTSD. They then might hit you up for spousal maintenance. I would make his ability to work almost the first thing you discuss with the atty. If she can head this off at the pass, everything else can be buried into ancient history.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FooFooJune 2, 2009 at 1:39 PM

    yeah i'm really afraid of that also Jim.

    But he's told me multiple times he doesn't want any of my money.... however a lawyer may say it doesn't matter, you can get it and you should. :/

    I hope his lawyer has a retainer fee.
    :P

    ReplyDelete
  5. BluezJune 2, 2009 at 1:53 PM

    I ended up letting my X share my attorney, we didn't have the money for separate ones. One way to trim costs is to tell your attorney that YOU will be making all the needed copies and also getting the information (I got mine from the county seat, not sure about TN) for the attorney instead of them billing you. Remember every phone call, every piece of paper is billed to you.

    Ask too, if she accepts email correspondence. It gives you a record while sharing information. Keep a log of every thing that happens, one for the attorney stuff and one for husband conversations.

    Begin your list of possessions and assets. Tell the attorney you want to do as much leg work and paper work as possible. This will save hundreds of dollars.

    Please don't hesitate if you want to ask me stuff okies?

    ReplyDelete
  6. JimJune 2, 2009 at 1:54 PM

    "however a lawyer may say it doesn't matter, you can get it and you should."

    Okay - this is one of the hardest concepts I had come across. Directly quoted from my own guy, "Justice is not a working concept in divorce court."

    In other words, it's not what he or his attorney demand that's important. It's what the judge demands. And, the judge may or may not factor "justice" into deciding whether you have to keep subsidizing his life.

    I mean, you had emotional abuse. You had a ton of problems coming straight from him. A court also rules that in the name of "justice," he has to be propped up on your dime? That's where I got the idea that divorce is tyranny. I'm a lot less chapped with the ex than I am with the system. But enough about me.

    These are the first questions I'd have: 1) We have no kids and I'm good with a straight split. What can I do to minimize the chance that he'll win alimony from me? 2) If I settle for less than a 50/50 split, will that impress the court into minimizing the post-marriage liability? 3) To what extent will his health issues be my problem, and for how long?

    ReplyDelete
  7. FooFooJune 2, 2009 at 1:59 PM

    he says he doesn't want a single cent, no 50/50 split, no rights to the house, nothing. he wants his disability income account, which has been seperate, and all his furniture and posessions that he brought into the marriage and acrued while in the marriage. He has already taken all of those things.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JimJune 2, 2009 at 2:02 PM

    "he says he doesn't want a single cent, no 50/50 split, no rights to the house, nothing."

    I'm sure it will work out, FooFoo. Your atty is probably on top of it.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  9. bubbles of the b kampJune 2, 2009 at 6:27 PM

    Attorneys cost money. A retainer is a trust account the attorney creates to fund your legal expenses. Some attorney's require a large initial deposit, and some allow you to send in deposits periodically. Good Luck Ninja/FooFoo. It is OK to protect yourself throughout this mess.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)