Most firms won't tell you what a case costs until you're sitting in their office. We will. The ranges below come from our own invoices — 4,163 time entries across 66 San Diego family-law matters over the last year, priced at our current rates. At your consultation, we'll tell you which path you're on and put your projected total in writing.
What Will My Family Law Case Cost?
1
Path 1 — You largely agree: $4,000–$6,500
Straightforward divorce: custody agreed or no minor children, no support fight, property settled by agreement. Filing, financial disclosures, a settlement agreement drafted to be enforceable, and the judgment entered. Typically 3–6 months. A $5,000 initial retainer usually covers the whole case; any unused balance is refunded.
2
Path 2 — You disagree on key issues: $8,000–$16,000
Contested custody, support disputes, or property disagreements that need motion work. Each Request for Order (the motion asking the court to decide temporary issues) runs about $1,600, and most contested cases need 2–3 rounds. Typically 6–14 months, centering around $10,000 by month 3 of active litigation.
3
Path 3 — High-conflict litigation: $25,000–$45,000+
Custody battles with evaluations, restraining orders, business valuations, multiple contested hearings, trial. Our highest-conflict cases ran 100–240 hours over 12–24 months.
Every case is different. These are paths, not promises — your written projection comes at your consultation.
Why clients hire us instead of doing it themselves:
-
Mistakes get caught before they need unwinding. Fixing a botched filing later costs 3–5x what getting it right costs the first time.
-
Orders that are actually enforceable. Vague DIY agreements come back as $5,000 motions to clarify.
-
The support math done right. A $300/month error compounds to $3,600 a year, every year.
-
The right work at the right rate. Two-thirds of a typical case is paralegal-rate work — you don't pay attorney rates for filings and scheduling. Dimitry reviews everything and handles every hearing personally.
How payment works
Your retainer sits in our client trust account — it stays your money until work is performed, and any unused balance is refunded. We don't finance cases: your trust balance must cover each phase before it begins, so you'll never dig a hole. Payment plans are set at your consultation based on your path:
-
Path 1: $5,000 initial retainer
-
Path 2: $5,000 initial + $2,000/month
-
Path 3: $7,500–$10,000 initial + $3,000–$5,000/month during active litigation
Court filing fees, process servers, custody evaluations, and similar third-party costs are separate — we flag them up front so there are no surprises."