How Much Will My Texas Child Custody Case Cost?

One of the most popular questions asked in my consults is, "how much is my child custody case going to cost me?" It is a reasonable question. However, there is no easy answer.

As with other professionals you hire, such as a mechanic to fix your car or a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, you will get an estimate of what the service will cost. However, several factors affect the cost of a child custody case, and many of them are beyond your control and that of your child custody lawyer. These factors make it impossible for a child custody lawyer to give you more than a guestimate of the total cost of your child custody case.

Your lawyer should provide you with a quote for retaining them to represent you in your child custody case. This is based on the specific circumstances of your case, as discussed with your attorney.

Agreement or Trial?

There are two ways to resolve a child custody case in Texas. The parties will reach an agreement, or the case will eventually go to trial.

The cost of a child custody battle in Texas depends on the parties' ability to reach agreements. Child custody lawyers and staff members bill hourly for their time on your case. I generally like to create a flowchart of typical child custody cases so people can see where in the process their money gets them.

I explain to prospective clients that many child custody cases conform to the following pattern:

Each one of those stages may have subparts or require additional hearings in between. At each stage in the child custody process, there is a chance to settle the case and not move on to the next stage. If a couple is agreeable and settles early on, it is cheaper than continuing down the child custody path.

I have observed that it costs roughly $3,500-$8,500 per stage.

When I was researching the cost of child custody cases other than my observations, what I found was:

$3,000 to $40,000 – according to a July 23, 2018 article on legalmatch.com
$3,000 to $35,000 – according to a 2014 article on personalfinance.costhelper.com
$2,500 to $50,000 – according to an article on legalzoom.com
$1,000 to $35,000 – according to an August 2018 article by Laurel King on legalbeagle.com.

These figures would be in line with my observations of $3,500-$34,000, depending on where the parties ended up in the process.

Child Custody Battles Can Be Very Expensive

Divorce and child custody cases have a reputation for not being cheap. I had worked on multiple child custody cases when the legal fees on both sides were in the hundreds of thousands.

Some famous examples of expensive child custody cases from popular culture include:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are estimated to have spent $5 million fighting over their six children.
Daniel Giersch and Kelly Rutherford are estimated to have spent $2 million fighting over their children.

The Total Cost of a Child Custody Case is a Composite Number

As discussed earlier, $3,500 to $34,000 is a wide range for child custody costs with many variables. This number is not just the cost of your attorney's legal fees. The ultimate number will likely be a composite of:

Attorney fees
The cost of every expert who is called to analyze your case
Filing fees
The cost of hiring a process server
Discovery costs
Deposition costs
If bank records or other documents need to be subpoenaed

Any additional expenses related to your case will show up itemized in your bill from your attorney.

Family Law Cases are Billed by the Hour

The cost of your child custody case will depend, in part, on the legal counsel you choose to represent your interests in your Texas child custody case. Attorneys bill not only for their own time but also for the time spent by other attorneys and their staff members who work on your case.

We also have several attorneys available to bill out at different hourly rates ranging from $175-$375 an hour. This allows us to pair your case with an attorney that can match your budget.

We also bill out our paralegals and law clerks at rates ranging from $100-$150 an hour.

It is essential to know that every minute you meet with your attorney or talk on the phone is a billable time in most circumstances. This may seem apparent, but it can be hard to remember while sitting in your lawyer's office enjoying a coffee or discussing your case.

Filing Fees and Costs

Additional expenses will need to be paid in every child custody case, and these expenses are charged to you at cost. For example, the "initial filing for a child custody case" is between $300-$400; this cost is passed on to you at cost.

You can usually expect to pay any filing or service fees that we must pay to the court or process server on your behalf.

Additionally, you may also incur other fees such as transcript fees, expert witness fees, and mediator's fees. We generally also charge for photocopies, long-distance phone calls, postage, or faxes.

Most child custody lawyers will provide you with an itemized accounting of all expenses, such as the court filing fees, deposition transcripts, and expert witness fees.

The Retainer or Prepaid Legal Fees Down Payment

A retainer is a large payment that you will pay your child custody attorney upfront. In many cases, you can think of a retainer as prepaid legal or down payment fees from which an attorney will take their hourly rate as it is earned.

As the retainer's balance drops below a certain point, you will be asked to replenish the retainer. If your case is ongoing or proceeding to trial, your retainer may have to be replenished multiple times.

Retainers are often in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. The retainer's exact cost will depend on the complexity of your case and the level of experience your attorney possesses.

It is common to see retainers anywhere from $2,500 to $20,000 for a child custody or family law case in Texas. Complex child custody cases or child custody cases heading for a jury trial might require a down payment of $50,000 or more.

You will be quoted a retainer at your initial consultation, and that retainer amount will be in your fee agreement. As such, any portion of your retainer that is not used should be refunded to you. However, it should be noted that the retainer is generally not enough to cover the total cost of a child custody case, and there is a good chance you will need to replenish the retainer throughout your case.

Child Custody Case Financing and Payment Plans

At the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, we try and work with clients on paying their legal fees by offering payment plans.

An example of how our payment plans work is as follows:

Retainer Amount

Payment Plans for

Senior Attorney

Payment Pan for

Junior Attorney

$10,000

$5,000 and $1,000 a month

$2,500 and $500 a month

In this example, the potential client has three options:

The potential client can pay the entire $10,000 down and have no monthly payments
Alternatively, they could elect to pay $5,000 down and $1,000 a month or
They would work with a Junior attorney for $2,500 down and $500 a month

Can I Make My Ex Pay for my Attorney Fees?

In most cases, you will pay your legal fees. However, it may be possible to get your ex to pay for your attorney fees in certain circumstances. If you are married to your ex, there are more avenues for getting your ex to pay for your legal fees.

However, in cases where you are not married to your ex, you will have to show the court evidence that the attorney fees are necessary for the children's safety and welfare.

We will discuss this topic in greater detail in the following chapter.

Things that Can Affect the Cost of a Child Custody Case

How complex is the case?
Is an amicus attorney needed?
Is there a need for expert witnesses?
Is there a need for witnesses?
Is there a need for a child custody evaluation?
Is there a need for drug testing?
Is the discovery needed?
How long will the case go on?
How much are you able to agree with the other parent?
Are you going to trial?
Are you going to a jury trial?

Children

The most contentious cases I have seen where people fight the most usually involve children.

For example, if you and your ex will both fight to be the "primary conservator," this alone can make your child custody case expensive. When child custody cases get contentious regarding children, it is not uncommon for a judge to appoint an Amicus to represent the children.

An Amicus attorney doesn't represent you or your ex; they are an attorney appointed by a judge to look out for the "best interest of the children." This attorney is generally paid for by both you and your ex.

In one case I worked on in which an Amicus was appointed, the Amicus cost, for our client alone, was an additional $50,000. In most cases I have worked on, it has not been nearly that bad, but that does illustrate what is possible.

Going to Trial

Some of the most expensive child custody cases in Texas are the ones that go to trial. Part of the reason for this is because your case will have probably already been mediated multiple times, gone through the discovery process, and had at least one Temporary Orders hearing.

Then on top of those things, your case will likely need several additional hours preparing for a courtroom battle.

Jury Trial

If your case involves a jury, you can expect your case to be even more expensive than a case in front of a judge. This is because jury trials generally take longer than trials in front of a judge. Some reasons for this include:

There is usually at least one additional day of trial to pick a jury.
The trial generally will take longer because there will be instances where the jury has to be sent out of the room to argue some issue in front of the judge.
There will be a day or so for the jury to deliberate and decide.
Then there will still be an additional day to argue the non-jury issues before the judge.

Ebook

If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "Child Custody E-Book."

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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Child Custody Lawyers

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding child custody, it's essential to speak with one of our Houston , TX, child custody lawyers right away to protect your rights.

Our child custody lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, handles child custody cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.