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If you are reading this, it is probably because you are going through a divorce, or are having a family law problem, and are considering retaining Benmor Family Law Group to provide you with legal advice and representation.

Before you retain any lawyer, it is important for you to understand that of the many methods to achieve a settlement – such as negotiation, mediation, neutral evaluation, expert analysis, forensic accounting or arbitration – litigation is, by far, the most expensive option. Moreover, family law litigation is the least predictable of all methods to achieve a settlement.

After 30 years of practicing family law litigation, I can tell you that the most common question asked by clients is “what is the cost of legal advice and representation?” Yet there is no predictable answer to that question because it is impossible to know the answers to the many underlying questions that would need to be answered to be able to provide a predictable estimate for your expenses for legal advice and representation.

Here are examples of the questions that would pre-determine your expenses for legal advice and representation:

• What are the terms of settlement that you want?
• What are the terms of settlement that your spouse wants?
• Will your former spouse or their lawyer be cooperative or combative?
• Will you agree to your former spouse’s terms of settlement or will they agree to yours and, if not, why?
• Will your former spouse agree to a Parenting Plan for your children, or do we need to seek expert or judicial help?
• Will your former spouse provide their financial disclosure voluntarily?
• Will your former spouse ask you to provide financial disclosure that is reasonable?
• Is your former spouse hiding assets or misrepresenting their income?
• Will we need to start a court case to help you achieve any progress?
• Will we need to defend a court case brought against you?
• Do you want to keep the matrimonial home or force its sale?
• Did your former spouse retain a lawyer who is prone to conflict and aggressive litigation?
• Will your former spouse agree to Mediation or Mediation/Arbitration to achieve a fast and inexpensive settlement?
• If we must go to court, will the judge assigned to hear your case be settlement-oriented or ineffective?
• How many times will we need to go to court?
• Which courthouse will your case be heard in and does that courthouse suffer from a major backlog delaying your case?

These are just some of the questions that will determine your expenses for legal advice and representation.

Having said all that, Benmor Family Law Group is very familiar with how to navigate divorce and family law problems, even with these obstacles, and find the shortest and most cost-effective avenues to achieve a fair settlement.

We take great care to meet our legal, professional and ethical obligations to our clients, as required in accordance with the Rules of Professional Conduct.

For Benmor Family Law Group, the lawyer/client relationship is a very important professional relationship that is built upon trust, confidence and respect.

The hourly rates of the divorce professionals at Benmor Family Law Group differ as follows:

• Steven Benmor (Principal Divorce Lawyer and Strategist) = $750
• Leanne Townsend (Divorce Lawyer) = $600
• Jessica Brant (Divorce Lawyer) = $525
• Cris Lam (Certified Divorce Coach & Senior Divorce Law Clerk) = $375
• Marigona Binakaj (Divorce Mediation Intern & Senior Divorce Law Clerk) = $350
• Articling Student = $250
• Law Student = $175

When a client retains Benmor Family Law Group, the client retains the entire team to work on their case. Group consultation and joint work occurs in some cases. At times, this results in fees being charged to the client simultaneously for each divorce professional who is working on the case together.

Time records are kept in an electronic time-keeping system to the nearest one-tenth of an hour (or 6 minutes). Here is an example of how legal time is charged:

• 0.1 = 6 minutes $375.00 x 0.1 = $37.50
• 0.2 = 12 minutes $375.00 x 0.2 = $75.00
• 0.3 = 18 minutes $375.00 x 0.3 = $112.50
• 0.4 = 24 minutes $375.00 x 0.4 = $150.00
• 0.5 = 30 minutes $375.00 x 0.5 = $187.50
• 0.6 = 36 minutes $375.00 x 0.6 = $225.00

Clients provide a deposit of $5,000.00 at the beginning of the case which remains in trust as a security deposit until the final account is issued at the completion of the case. It is not used in the interim towards the satisfaction of any accounts for fees or disbursements. Any unused portion of the deposit is refunded to the client at the end of the case.

Benmor Family Law Group is acutely aware of how sensitive, important and urgent legal advice and representation is for a spouse going through a divorce or having a family law problem. We are equally aware of the possible high costs of this process and strive to provide high quality, yet cost-effective, solutions to achieve a fair and speedy settlement.