It is a known fact that hiring an attorney to help with your legal needs can be a costly matter depending on what you are hoping to achieve. It is also a known fact that you get what you pay for and good attorneys are not cheap. When it comes to child custody matters, particularly cases involving a relocation, having an attorney is invaluable. Having someone who understands the process, who will advocate for your needs and wants, as well as someone who has a track record of success can make all of the difference in your child custody case, however, it can become a costly matter in relocation cases. Because of this it is important to know and understand how much a relocation case will cost you so that you can be prepared in the event you need to hire an attorney. If you or a loved one is considering relocating while having a child custody order in place or has a child that may be relocated, contact an experienced North Carolina child custody attorney to help you with your case.
Just How Much Will it Cost Me?
When you have a child custody relocation case, it is invaluable to seek legal assistance. Though it may cost you, having an attorney on your side can prove rewarding in your case. As with most legal trials, legal costs can start to add up, because of this, it is important to know what your money will be used for. Generally, all child custody cases, including those for relocation will require:
- Preparing and responding to pleadings – in a relocation matter, the pleading filed will, generally, be a motion to modify an existing custody order and comes with its own fees.
- Drafting interrogatories – this allows for basic questions to be asked that will help with background information such as addresses, birthdates, and past employers.
- Preparing requests for admissions – these are written questions in which the opposing party is to answer and if not answered within a given timeframe can be used as an admittance, which can hurt or help a case.
- Requesting production of documents – this request allows a party to request any document that may be pertinent to your case in which case, becomes costly, as an attorney will have to review all of this information.
- Preparing for and conducting depositions – this action is where an attorney is able to ask questions under oath but out of court which the video or transcript can be used later in court if a witness is unable to show up.
- Creating and filing subpoenas – subpoenas are used to compel people who do not want to appear in court to actually appear and usually is no less than $200.00 in the state of North Carolina and can be several hundred dollars if someone must be subpoenaed from out state.
- Preparing exhibits for trial – this is evidence that allows the judge to have something to look at during your trial and testimony and can include, but are not limited to, text messages, emails, as well as pictures.
- Preparing witnesses for trial – this is critical for your case, to know and understand the testimony that each witness will give as this can make or break your case .
- Speaking and preparing expert witness – if an expert is needed the cost of your case will increase as the expert witness will need to be paid for his time in and out of court.
- Preparing legal arguments – this is one of the most important costs of your case as if the attorney is not prepared with all needed information and able to review, it will be just as you had no attorney at all.
Though these all have a cost attached to them, all of the above is vital in a child custody relocation case, especially if most of the information that is needed has to come from out of state. However, there are ways for you to help control costs, such as by being organized, keeping notes, and not hiding information from your attorney on all events that happen that could be beneficial or detrimental to your case.
Need Legal Advice?
In most relocation cases, generally, only one person is asking to relocate and if done correctly, no one has actually left town or the state. When this is the case, a child custody case can cost the same amount as a regular child custody case and though it may seem costly for both, not hiring an attorney can also be a costly matter, only not financial costly, but loss of a relationship with your child as well as the ability to see your child. Because of this, hiring an attorney is very much worth it. Therefore, if you or a loved one is seeking assistance in a child custody action, contact an experienced North Carolina child custody attorney at The Law Office of Dustin S. McCrary. We are here to help you strategize about the best possible scenarios for your case. Contact our office today!