It’s widely accepted that spouses in a divorce can ask for the other to help pay for their lawyer. There’s all sort of reasons why that should or shouldn’t happen. But more recent litigation has finally put to bed the issue if unmarried parents could get the other parent to help in the payment of attorney’s fees. The answer is simply yes. But how?
Temporary support and attorney’s fees was always available for married parents. But that wasn’t always the case with unwed parents until more recent changes in the Parentage Act and how cases have interpreted the new Act since.
Now, fees for “pre-trial proceedings” are also available under the Parentage Act of 2015. Unwed parents can seek not only interim fees, but also a contribution for final fees (at the end of the case) or even fees to hire a lawyer at the very beginning of a case.
So, if you find yourself in the midst of a paternity case, and don’t have the funds to hire a lawyer, you’re in luck but the catch is finding a lawyer willing to take on your case without any sort of advance payment.
Married or not, if you want to explore the option of hiring a lawyer without any retainer payment, call Paul Nordini at (630) 306-6300 or email Mr. Nordini at: paul@paulnordini.com
Gorilla Divorce Blog 