It has been my FWH's experience that clients lie about things, even when they have been told the importance of telling their lawyer the whole truth. This almost never works, the lies are invariably exposed and the case ends up badly--and whose fault is it? Yes, you guessed it, it is the lawyer's fault! You would be amazed at the number of times clients ask for advice, don't follow it, then come back in complaining because things went wrong. Apparently, that is also the lawyer's fault.

I do agree that every person who needs legal representation should be able to have it, especially when children are involved. The funding for legal aid services has been cut dramatically over the past 10 years or so, which is too bad. Few legal aid offices can take divorce cases anymore, unless, as someone already said, there is domestic violence involved.

This divorce has already cost (between the 2 of us) $75k. This is because he did not want me to get a dime of his retirement. He would rather givie it over to the lawyers.

I didn't pay my lawyer a dime the first 1.5 years of this 3 year+ divorce, except the $2,500 retainer.

She saw my SAWH's retirement funds and said that my fees would be taken out of that and they were. He had to take the distribution to give me my half and it was split between both lawyers.

Now, I am having to continue paying in installments because this is an ugly, ugly divorce where he does not agree to a dam thing!

My lawyer has 30 yrs experience and her father before her was a divorce lawyer too. She knew her money was coming via the retirement fund so no problem.

Oh and the $75k was AFTER we went to see the mediator twice!