What are the Specific Fees (Apart from Attorneys Fees) Associated with Getting a Divorce?
Fees and costs are always a hot topic when deciding to retain an attorney. Individuals going through divorce need to also be prepared for other expenses that may come up during divorce proceedings.
Guardian ad Litem/Child Representative Fees. In some divorce or parenting proceedings, the court may appoint a Guardian ad Litem or Child Representative to better serve the best interest of the child. In this case, the court can allocate the fees, typically to both parties, and enforce an order the requires individuals to pay for the Guardian ad Litem or Child Representative, who is typically another private attorney.
Experts. On occasion the Court may also appoint an expert pursuant to ILCS 604.10 or Illinois Supreme Court Rule 215 to conduct an evaluation or investigation into the parties. Oftentimes this is seen when one party requests a mental health evaluation conducted by a professional. However, in some cases a financial expert may also be appointed to deal with complex financials. When this is ordered pursuant to ILCS 5/604.10 the Court can create an obligation on one or both of the parties to pay for the costs associated with the expert’s evaluation or investigation.
Other parties’ attorney fees. It is possible that your individual attorney fees are not the only attorney fees you will have to pay. One party can file to ask the Court to require the other party to pay for their attorney fees under Illinois Law Section 508(a), Section 508(b) or Section 503(j). To learn more about these specific sections of Illinois Law, please see our article “Do I have to pay my own attorney’s fees?” located on our website.
The Law Office of Erin M. Wilson is dedicated to keeping the cost of your divorce down and works to avoid any unnecessary costs from being incurred and efficiently working with outside attorneys or experts to resolve your case.
NOTICE: This blog is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as providing legal advice. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding this blog post.