And what is this going to cost us?!
It’s no surprise that people want to save on legal fees. For years, lawyers have billed clients on an hourly basis, providing complicated bills at the end of the month. Most of the time lawyers can’t tell you what your matter will cost in total and they just keep asking for more money. It’s uncommon to find a lawyer who charges a “flat fee.”
Assuming that your legal matter is straightforward on the platform, your UnHitchUs fee is a fixed “flat fee.” If you need post divorce documents drafted, there can be additional charges and your attorney will discuss them with you in advance. (These include costs for quit claim deeds, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, Releases to be filed in the court record for payments, and other documents that your attorney will tell you about.) The cost of an income withholding order for child support is included in your UnHitchUs flat fee. getting everything together and having your virtual consultation, while asking questions along the way to guide@UnHitchUs.com is all included. You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing you won’t be getting a bill for a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that you don’t understand!
In Iowa an attorney can only represent one of you. All the attorney’s loyalty goes to the person who enters the “You” category on the platform. This means that while we can be kind and provide certain legal information to your spouse or coparent your UnHitchUs attorney is your attorney, not their attorney. So, do they need their own lawyer?
It never hurts to have a lawyer. Your partner has the following options:
1. They can proceed as a “Self Represented Litigant.” This means they choose to waive their right to a lawyer and will sign something saying that your UnHitchUs lawyer isn’t giving them legal advice. That is super easy and doesn’t cost anything.
2. They can “lawyer up” and hire any lawyer that they wish. If they do hire an attorney and we have to move off the platform into theguide@UnHitchUs.com usual methods of back and forth with their attorney, the flat fees for using the platform may no longer apply since you will have entered into traditional legal representation instead of online legal representation.
3. They can hire a lawyer for “unbundled legal services a/k/a “limited scope representation” (collectively ‘LSR’. This is when an attorney and a client agree that the attorney will perform some, but not all, aspects of the client’s legal matter. The client is responsible for handling any and all aspects of his or her own case for which the attorney has not been retained. This allows the client to choose the level and scope of representation he or she desires and provides predictable control over the cost of various legal services.
At UnHitchUs we like to call this process “a la carte law.” You give the lawyer a limited assignment. With using the platform that usually means that you and your spouse or co-parent use the platform tools to create your divorce or co-parenting arrangement. You have the virtual consultation with our attorney, and then the other party runs the final document by an attorney of their choice before they sign the final document.
This unbundled service document review usually costs between $150 and $250 per hour and often does not require a legal retainer. We can provide names of Iowa attorneys who will work in an unbundled fashion or you can find them online.
UnHitchUs wants everyone involved in using our platform to feel that they have been treated fairly and with dignity. Our goal is to minimize legal fees, add convenience to the process and encourage collaboration for you and your spouse or coparent to have conversation about what works best for you and your family. We want lawyers to be supportive to you in this endeavor and not people who raise the level of conflict, charge a lot of money and leave you hurting more after their intervention than you already are in this important life transition you are moving through.