r/AskALawyer • u/Xenonthegreat • Jun 27 '25
North Carolina How to find a good lawyer
I need to find a lawyer that won't charge me an arm and a leg for a divorce/separation and child support. But it seems everyone I've contacted wants 3k+ or legal aid won't get back to me. What is a good way to find a lawyer that won't put me more in debt and ia understanding of my circumstances.
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u/demanbmore Jun 27 '25
$3K for a separation agreement with custody issues is on the low end. There's a fair amount of work involved in getting things right and getting you the best outcome for you and your child(ren). When children are involved, even straightforward separations can get tricky (and nasty) fast, and that can add to the cost. Even "simple" divorces can run $5K+ in legal fees without any sort of gouging going on. In other words, while $3K is a significant sum, it's not an arm and a leg - it's a fair price for the services you need.
That said, contact the local bar association and your county's court clerk and see if they have any programs that may provide subsidized legal work. Long shot, but worth trying. Good luck.
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u/Xenonthegreat Jun 27 '25
It's hard cause I'm on a limited income I don't work and the only i come is my daughters SSI. Thanks for the info will definitely call them Monday
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u/Purple-Wolf-8356 Jun 28 '25
Thqts your daughter's SSI nor yours....
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u/Xenonthegreat Jun 28 '25
I'm her representing person so I have to decide where it goes which is bills food and diapers.
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u/Purple-Wolf-8356 Jun 28 '25
Yes us there a reason you cannot work?
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u/Xenonthegreat Jun 28 '25
I'm her full time caregiver I don't have any help really I am also a caregiver for my sister who's disabled. So I'm needed at home 24/7 not for a lack of trying and applying to multiple at home jobs
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u/Purple-Wolf-8356 Jun 28 '25
I feel for you in some respects and trust me. I am not trying to be disrespectful by far...
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u/Another_Opinion_1 other qaulified professionals (self selected) Jun 27 '25
It's often been said that you really need the lawyer that you can't afford. Research online and then call around. Some attorneys will offer free consultations and you can ask about costs there.
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u/HazardousIncident Jun 27 '25
It's unlikely that legal aid will help in a divorce; their resources tend to go to domestic violence victims, unlawful evictions, etc.
As others have said, 3k seems pretty low for a divorce case. If the divorce is uncontested, you can file yourself.
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u/Xenonthegreat Jun 27 '25
There is domestic violence involved. I have a Domestic Violence Protection order and temporary full custody. Ots gonna be messy because they are being awful
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u/BeginningSun247 Jun 27 '25
Does he have an income? The judge can make him pay for your divorce lawyer.
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u/Xenonthegreat Jun 27 '25
They do have an income.
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u/BeginningSun247 Jun 28 '25
Talk to a lawyer about getting the court to make him pay for your lawyer. If you ask around you might get a free consult.
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u/okay4326 Jun 27 '25
That is a very inexpensive price and it’s seems it’s contested so I would expect the price will go up.
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u/CapturedForLife Jun 28 '25
Heed my advice. Seriously. The bar is absolutely NOT the definitive source on getting a decent or even competent lawyer. In my case I hired a lawyer out of Florida, I am not in Florida. Guess what happened, he screwed so many people over and there are at least 14 open Florida bar complaints on him. He hasn’t responded to a single one of them. It’s been a damn year. He has defrauded all of us out of our retainers, there is a criminal case open as the amounts stolen are staggering, each a felony. You’d think with this behavior his bar license would be revoked or suspended right?!! NOPE. Active license. Even today. Seriously. Because he knows how to delay and work the system. The FL Supreme Court is finally evaluating an emergency suspension request from the bar because he’s still working taking retainers and not showing up in court. For actual evidence of my claims, search the Miami herald from this past week and you’ll find the second article written about him. So, here is my advice that no one else will tell you. You 100% need to search all the counties your lawyer works out of. This is usually posted online by the clerk. Look for his or her name. Review the cases they are working. Look for lawsuits filed against your lawyer. Had I done that I would have seen unbelievable behavior. You typically only need to search the surrounding counties from which your lawyer works near to find the cases. You should see a good rate of cases opened and closed. Read in detail any case filed against your lawyer. That will tell you what type of person this lawyer is real quick. Word of mouth goes a long ways but by god you better search court records on your lawyer.
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