Most attorneys in NJ will charge between $250-500/hour. They usually ask for a retainer up front, which can be anywhere between $2,500.00 and $15,000.00. Some statistics show that on average, one can expect to pay $12,000.00 in attorney's fees for a divorce.
In New Jersey, it costs $325 to file your official Complaint for Divorce with the court (if you have children) and $300 (if you do not). You should expect additional charges if you need to have a Process Server serve your spouse. Your attorney may also charge for copy costs and postage.
Once the decision is made to divorce, one of the first questions people ask is – how do I pay my lawyer? Contingency fees are not permitted in family law matters in New Jersey. Thus, in divorce matters, the parties generally each pay a retainer fee to their respective attorneys to begin the divorce process.
Contested Divorce in New Jersey In terms of your New Jersey divorce, it means that you and your spouse oppose or challenge each other's views on any or all of the following: the child custody arrangement; necessity for, amount, or duration of alimony; equitable distribution of assets, or request for child support.
When a divorcing couple's financial situation is not completely one-sided, courts will sometimes order the spouse with a larger income to pay a percentage of the other party's attorney's fees in proportion to each spouse's income.
To begin your divorce process, either you or your spouse must file a divorce complaint with the court. The one who files is named the Plaintiff, and the other spouse will be the Defendant. No, it does not matter who filed for divorce first, in New Jersey, and it does not matter who is Plaintiff and who is Defendant.
In New Jersey limited duration alimony, permanent and/or rehabilitative alimony, reimbursement alimony, or a combination thereof will be ordered. For example, a spouse unable to get skills and training necessary to get a job and support themselves may be entitled to permanent alimony.
If you and your spouse agree on all the terms of your divorce, you can file for an uncontested divorce without the help of a lawyer. However, it is always advisable to at least have a lawyer look through your agreement in an uncontested divorce to make sure that your rights and interests are protected.
The average hourly rate for a family lawyer in New Jersey is $339 per hour.
Spending marital money on extramarital affairs. Transferring marital funds to another person before a separation. Spending unreasonable amounts on business expenditures. Selling marital assets below the market value.
In most cases, houses are considered marital property. Even when one spouse purchases a home and the other moves in afterward, if that spouse can prove that he or she contributed significantly to the home, either monetarily or otherwise, that spouse may receive the marital home in the divorce.
Many attorneys and Judges unofficially compute the amount of alimony in NJ by taking the gross income of both spouses and subtracting the two numbers and awarding the lesser income spouse around one four (1/4 ) of the difference of said incomes.