MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS
11 Vanderbilt Avenue • Suite 105 Norwood, Massachusetts 02062 Telephone: (781) 461-9800 • Fax: (781) 762-0004
Thank you for your contacting us about our Massachusetts Flat-Fee Divorce services. Listed below is a brief outline of the services that we provide:
Alimony Child Custody Child Support Consultation Contempt Discovery Divorce (Contested/Uncontested) Divorce (Publication) Divorce Paperwork Service Enforcement Hidden Asset Search Modification Parenting Plans Paternity Property & Debt Division Restraining Orders Same-Sex Divorce Separation Agreements
Divorce is the bulk of our business. In Massachusetts, there is uncontested divorce, contested divorce, and divorce by publication. We handle all three types of divorce and for your convenience, most of our services can be accomplished by e-mail, fax, regular mail, or by a conventional office visit to any of our offices:
Norwood
11 Vanderbilt Suite 105 Norwood 02062
Worcester
316 Main St. Fifth Floor Worcester 01608
Springfield
1 Monarch Place 13th Floor Springfield 01144
Plymouth
6 Main St. Ext. Post Office Sq. Plymouth 02360
Cape Cod
3821 Falmouth Rd Family Law Center 2 Marstons Mills 02648
Of all the divorce options, uncontested divorce is the quickest, least expensive, least complicated, and (as it relates to the harm divorce can do to your children) the less contentious way to divorce in Massachusetts. In order to file an uncontested divorce action, both spouses must meet all of the following requirements: the parties must (1) agree to be divorced, (2) reach an agreement on all the major issues, and (3) voluntarily sign all the papers that are to be filed with the Probate & Family Court. This will eliminate the need to serve divorce documents upon either party. As you’re reviewing the Retainer Agreement for Legal Representation on uncontested divorce matters, to get started, please e-mail or bring to any of our offices the completed agreement to us, along with your credit card authorization or check. We will contact you to confirm receipt. Once your paperwork is received, we will also need your Divorce Questionnaire in order to prepare your 1A Divorce – the “joint petition” for divorce. On the day of your court appearance, one of our Massachusetts Flat-Fee Divorce Attorneys will represent you in front of a Judge. At that time, your uncontested divorce documents will be reviewed for court approval. After your divorce is final, certified copies of your Divorce Decree can be obtained from the court in the county where your divorce occurred.
Norwood • Andover • Worcester • Springfield • Plymouth • Cape Cod
(800) 910-DIVORCE
This Agreement, intended to clarify the rights and responsibilities between the parties, relates solely to the scope of legal representation on the Uncontested Divorce matter for: Name _________________________________ (hereinafter referred to as “YOU”) Address _______________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________ On this date, ______________________________________, you have retained the lawyers from The Massachusetts Family Law Group, P.C., 11 Vanderbilt Avenue, Suite 105, Norwood, MA 02062 (hereinafter referred to as “LAWYER”). 1. You agree that the Lawyer will represent you in the uncontested divorce matter between you and your spouse. As such, the fee for our basic service is $1,750. The assumption is that you and your spouse have no property, no children and that neither of you will be paying alimony to the other. If agreed to between both parties, additional services may be provided and are addressed in Paragraph 9 of Agreement. 2. When you retain the Lawyer to represent you in your uncontested divorce, you will receive a telephone or in-office consultation following receipt of your Divorce Questionnaire. Soon thereafter, we will prepare all of the necessary documents in order to get the court to order a final judgment of dissolution. Just prior to filing, you will be required to review and sign each court document before we present them to the court. We will notarize your signature, but cannot notarize your spouse’s signature on the same documents. Provided you have paid all fees owed, advanced your filing fee and court costs, and all paperwork is ready to be filed, your court date will be scheduled and you will be notified by mail of that date. An appearance by one of our attorneys is included as part of our basic service at your final court hearing. You further acknowledge that, if your uncontested divorce becomes a contested matter, our Agreement shall automatically terminate and Lawyer, if required to do so, will petition the Court to withdraw representation on your behalf. It is further agreed that representation shall terminate with the entry of a new order unless specifically extended by mutual agreement, by both parties, in writing. 3. You and the Lawyer may make additional agreements to provide uncontested legal services not covered by our basic service as stated in Paragraph 1. Without such agreement, the Lawyer is not required to provide said services including, but not limited to, communicating with opposing counsel, negotiating the terms of your
MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS
Separation Agreement, assisting you with the aspects of your financial statement, making changes to information provided on your Divorce Questionnaire, conducting any discovery, transferring title or property, drafting or filing any motions, postdivorce documents, paying any filing fees or tuition for parenting classes. Finally, no part of this Agreement states that we shall: (a) (b) (b) (c) (d) Render any tax advice, appraise any property, or value any asset; Provide any legal services after the judgment of the trial court; Appeal any decisions of the trial court; Enforce any judgment or order of the court including modifications; or Represent you in any other court than the Probate and Family Court.
4. In order for the Lawyer to begin any work, you have agreed to pay the flat-fees outlined in Paragraph 9 below. If further services are requested, payment for said services will be required prior to the commencement of additional work. The flat-fee quoted to you is considered non-refundable once paid and is considered fully earned upon receipt of payment from you. We do not prepare itemized bills for our flat-fee, uncontested divorce services because we do not charge by the hour for said service. 5. You acknowledge that, if applicable, you must pay other costs and expenses associated with your uncontested divorce including, but not limited to, accountants’ fees, appraisers’ fees, computer research fees, court costs, extraordinary photocopying charges or telephone charges, filing fees, messenger services, postage, travel costs, or any other necessary expense related to this matter. Furthermore, you acknowledge that all disbursements, costs, and other expenses are not included in your flat-fee. 6. You must fully cooperate with the Lawyer, including but not limited to, providing Lawyer with the documents and information required by the court to grant you a divorce and prompt payment of fees relating to the services being provided to you. Failure to do so in a timely manner may result in the Lawyer terminating the Agreement, or asking the Court for permission to withdraw from representing you. 7. At all times, the Lawyer will keep you informed of the status of your case. You will also receive copies of all documents relevant to your case, and every attempt will be made to return your phone calls within the day it was received. Notwithstanding the above, please be aware that while the Lawyer considers it a duty to keep you fully informed of all events as they develop, there are often periods of time in which nothing is taking place or we are waiting for responses from the Court. Furthermore, you are entitled to the Lawyer’s undivided loyalty. In general, that means that the Lawyer will work only for your best interests and will keep information you provide absolutely confidential within the Lawyer’s office.
MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS
8. No Guaranteed Results. The Lawyer agrees to provide conscientious, competent and diligent services and will at all times seek to achieve solutions which are just and reasonable for you. However, because of the uncertainty of legal proceedings, we cannot guarantee any expected outcome or conclusion of your Uncontested Divorce due to the numerous and complicated factors which are beyond our Flat-Fee Divorce Attorneys’ control. 9. The Flat-Fee Agreement. Our Massachusetts Flat-Fee Divorce Attorneys will work closely with you in order to keep your costs as low as possible. Our basic service and fee is outlined in Paragraph 1 above. Additional work may be necessary on your case; following are some definitions of additional work that may be necessary and the fee for same:
A. Basic Uncontested Divorce Representation (no property, children or alimony) $1,750
B. Real Estate: Additional charge of $100 for each piece of property. # _____
C. Children: Includes our basic Parenting Plan and Child Support Guidelines D. Premium Parenting Plan: Addresses close to 100 issues with worksheets E. Alimony Provision: Includes survival and/or merger provisions
_____ 100 250 100
F. QDRO: We oversee what we refer out. Additional fee of $50 for each. # _____
G. Premium Separation Agreement: Covers all issues, includes FREE Parenting Plan H. Missing Spouse: Covers additional appearances and drafting. Requires addl. fees I. Out-of-State Party: Covers additional time and cost for communication J. Changes to Divorce Agreement: Additional drafting service beyond a single edit K. Changes to your Financial Statement: Additional editing and calculations L. Additional Consultations: For each conference beyond your first visit to our office M. Missed Office Appointments N. Rescheduling of Court Appearances O. Courthouse File Retrieval: For modification or contempt matters P. Expedited Processing: Two Weeks – $250, 72-Hours – $500
_____
350 250 100 100 50 250 100 100 250
_____
Q. Initial Payment to Mass. Family Law Group R. Additional Services S. Court Costs and Filing Fees (Typically $215) T. Final Payment to Mass. Family Law Group
_____ _____ _____ _____
MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS
_______________________________ IRWIN M. POLLACK MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY LAW GROUP, P.C. I HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS AGREEMENT. READ AND AGREED TO,
By:
____________________________________ CLIENT NAME
MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS
MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY LAW GROUP, P.C.
ATTORNEYS and COUNSELORS AT LAW 11 Vanderbilt Avenue • Suite 105 Norwood, Massachusetts 02062 Telephone: (781) 461-9800 • Fax: (781) 762-0004
CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION
I, ________________________, give The Massachusetts Family Law Group, P.C. permission to apply $_______________ on my Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, account #__________________________________, Expiration Date ________________, Verification _________. I furthermore represent I am an authorized cardholder on this account and both agree and promise not to attempt to “charge back” or dispute these fees for any reason. I further agree that a copy of this Agreement will serve as proof to the financing bank that your chargeback request should and will be denied.
Printed Name ___________________________________________
Signature _______________________________________________
Billing Address/City/State/Zip ______________________________
_________________________________________________
MASSACHUSETTS
Flat-Fee Divorce
ATTORNEYS