Steady guidance through the hardest season
Divorce & Custody
Whether your separation is amicable or complicated, we help you untangle a shared life with as little damage as possible — to your finances, your future, and above all your children.
No one plans to sit in a family lawyer's office. By the time you do, you've usually spent months carrying questions alone: What happens to the house? How will the kids' weeks work? Will I be okay? Our first job is to replace that fog with a map — what the process actually looks like, what's typical, and where your situation gives you room to choose.
Most of our divorces resolve by agreement, because agreements you shape yourself tend to hold up better than orders imposed on you. When the other side makes agreement impossible, we litigate — thoroughly prepared and deliberately untheatrical — and we keep you informed of the cost, in dollars and in energy, at every stage.
Where children are involved, they set the temperature of everything we do. We'll help you build a parenting plan around their school weeks, their friendships, and their sense of home — not around winning.
What it costs
Fees, in plain sight
| Matter | Fee |
|---|---|
| Uncontested divorce (full agreement, no minor children) plus court filing fees | $2,400 flat |
| Uncontested divorce with a parenting plan plus court filing fees | $2,900 flat |
| Parenting-plan or support modification (agreed) | $1,600 flat |
| Contested divorce or custody written estimate at each stage | Hourly — $285 partner / $215 associate |
A contested case can't honestly be flat-fee priced — the other side controls half the work. So we don't pretend. You'll get a written range before we start, a fresh estimate at each stage, and a plain recommendation whenever settling would cost less than fighting.
What it looks like
Step by step, at your pace
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A quiet first conversation
Free, 30 minutes, no paperwork required. You tell us where things stand; we tell you what the road usually looks like from there.
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The map and the fee, in writing
You leave the first paid meeting with a written plan: what gets filed, what gets gathered, what it costs, and what you can safely ignore.
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Agreement first, court if needed
We pursue a negotiated separation agreement and parenting plan before anything adversarial. Most families never see a contested hearing.
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After the decree
We walk you through everything the order requires — deeds, accounts, name changes — so nothing is left dangling.
Who you'd work with
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Claire Whitfield
Founder & Managing Attorney
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Maya Reyes-Chen
Senior Associate — Custody & Guardianship
Honest answers
Questions families ask us
Do I have to go to court?
Usually far less than people fear. When both spouses reach full agreement, many courts finalize the paperwork with minimal or no hearing time. Even contested cases mostly resolve before trial. We'll tell you early and honestly if yours looks like an exception.
How long does a divorce take?
Every state imposes a minimum waiting period, and after that the timeline mostly depends on how quickly the two of you can agree. Cooperative divorces here typically conclude within a few months; contested ones take longer. We'll give you a realistic range at the first meeting — and update it whenever facts change.
Will my children have to be involved?
Almost never directly. Courts and lawyers alike work to keep children out of the process. What your children will feel is the tone the adults set — which is one more reason we work so hard to keep temperatures low.
My spouse and I mostly agree. Do we even need lawyers?
That's genuinely good news, and mediation may serve you better than two litigators — we offer it and will say so plainly if it fits. Even in full agreement, having one lawyer prepare the paperwork correctly protects everyone from expensive surprises later.