Hiring a Lawyer

Whether you should hire a lawyer depends on the amount of money in dispute, what you can afford, and your preferences. Historically, the justice system has been virtually in-accessible to those that cannot afford an attorney. However, King @ Law offers payment plans and a low-cost DIY system. This page will offer some generalized guidance on when to hire an attorney.

Equitable Distribution

Generally, you should hire a lawyer if the assets in dispute are worth $100,000 or more, such as with a house, business, or major retirement assets. You should consider using our DIY system if the assets are $10,000 or less. This leaves a range of $10-$100k that's a tough call. However, this guideline should reduce the risk of paying more in legal fees than the property in dispute.

Child Support

The state of North Carolina provides free legal services for child support, if you are willing to complete their 24-page application. Most of the time, the main reason to hire your own lawyer for child support is if you are already using that lawyer for other claims, or you can afford it.

Alimony & Custody

These are both complicated claims where the judge's decision is based on all of the facts and circumstances. You should always hire a lawyer for these claims, if you can afford one. Those petitioning for alimony will often need to find employment first.

Parting Tips

The most common complaint we hear about other lawyers is that they keep sending large invoices, but aren't getting anything done. Make sure you understand your lawyer's billing, know what costs to expect, and have some ideas of the timeline, even though in practice timing varies dramatically. Reddit has many posts where users have shared what their actual total legal fees were from hourly-rate attorneys.