Serving all of Southern California:
Offices in North San Diego County opening soon.
Mark L. Watkins, PhD
Family Law Pricing
Family Law Pricing
Some things are billed at a package rate (see below). Dr. Watkins's hourly rate is $215.00, billed in tenths of hours. He does not require a "retainer" or deposit as attorneys do, and you are only billed for the time he spends on your case because you are making your own court appearances. With attorney's fees in excess of $500 hourly and attorney retainer fees starting at $5,000 (10 hours) for the simplest of tasks, you are going to save a small fortune representing yourself. Whether a package or hourly rate, you'll get a detailed billing showing the work Dr. Watkins actually did. Here's an example of billing on an uncontested that proceeded smoothly.
Packages
Uncontested Divorce
$1,290.00 (A reduction of approximately 1 hour if billed hourly; This does not including the court's $435 - $450 filing fee; It does include all service of process by mail, including the Summons.)
An “Uncontested" Divorce means you and your ex are in agreement on the issues (division of property, payment of debt, spousal support, child custody, parenting time, and child support). This includes all the forms to get you through the divorce and all service of process by mail. And you won't have to go to court if you do it right. Here is an example of the LDA Agreement you'll be asked to sign.
If you and your ex are not in agreement, Dr. Watkins can mediate or help you approach your ex and negotiate resolution directly with him/her. This is billed the hourly rate. How much this adds to the cost of your divorce depends on the issues and how far your ex’s feet are dug into the mud. (Preventing that is something Dr. Watkins will help you avoid.) But if mediation or negotiation help is needed, the least it is likely to require is .6 hr. ($129.00)
Response and Respondent's Disclosures
We can do the Respondent's disclosures for an uncontested case (which your ex will have to do) at the package rate of $365.00 (1.7 hr; a reduction of approximately .5 hours if billed hourly)
Request for Orders for Child Support
$325 (about a .5 hour)reduction if billed hourly). This includes the Request for Order (FL-300), a short declaration, your Income & Expense Declaration, copies, and service of process by mail. If you need a declaration regarding address Verification, add .3 hr. ($64.50). In addition, if you don't qualify for a court fee waiver, the court charges a filing fee of $60-$90.
Requests for Orders Other Than or in Addition to Child Support
It is impossible to know how much work other kinds of Requests for Orders will take, so requests for other orders (custody/parenting time, spousal support, property control, etc) are billed hourly. This is because sometimes our lives are complicated. Just how complicated (or simple) determines how much time it takes to gather evidence and tell the judge everything she needs to know.
In somewhat of an irony, if you are seeking other orders in addition to child support, the child support request will probably only increase the cost by the time it takes to complete the I&E. So if your declaration case is simple, a request for other orders along with a request for child support might not be much more than the child support package rate.
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