Thank you for joining me. My name is LaSheena Williams and I am a Maryland family law attorney. My firm helps our clients take control of out-of-control domestic situations. Today we will be discussing seeking an attorney’s fee award.
What are attorney’s fees?
An attorney’s fee award is a court ordering that the opposing party is to pay your attorney’s fees in a case based on certain actions. You can get an attorney’s fee award if for some reason your spouse is the primary bread winner, and you need the attorney’s fees to help you with your case. You can get an attorney’s fee award if you are in the middle of discovery, and you have requested documents and information and your spouse has refused to actually comply with those requests. You can get a court order ordering them to pay your attorney’s fees for having your attorney forced essentially to seek those records out or to seek that information out when the opposing party should have given it to you.
When can you request attorney’s fees?
Honestly, you can request attorney’s fees at any stage of your family law case. You can request them at the Pendente Lite hearing. You can request them at a final merits hearing such as a child support hearing or divorce hearing. You can request them because of filing for discovery sanctions.
What do you need to show to get them?
When seeking an attorney’s fee award, it’s important for you to file a long-form financial statement. It’s also important that the opposing party file a long-form financial statement, but if they don’t do that it’s important for you to show that they have the resources to assist you in seeking attorney’s fees That is a very important factor, especially if they aren’t participating in the case and you’re seeking an award. You must show to the court that they can pay for the fees you’re requesting.
If you have any questions about seeking an attorney’s fee award or any other domestic related issues, contact the Law Office of LaSheena M. Williams at (301) 778 – 9950 or leave an online request for a consultation.
