Process
Six steps from first call to final order
Most cases follow the same path. Here is each step, what you do and what the clinic does.
- 01
Step 1: The screening call
About twenty minutes, by phone or video. We check for conflicts, ask about household income and say whether the clinic can take your case.
- 02
Step 2: Your fee band and plan
You get your hourly fee in writing, and a plan with the steps, the dates and an estimate for each step.
- 03
Step 3: A meeting with your attorney
You tell the story once. We explain the law and what is likely, and you decide what to ask the court for.
- 04
Step 4: Filing and service
We file the papers and arrange for the other side to be served, and ask for a temporary order if the children, money or safety can’t wait.
- 05
Step 5: Mediation or a hearing
Many cases settle at a mediator’s table. If yours does not, we prepare you for the hearing, and we come with you.
- 06
Step 6: The order, and after
We check the written order against what the judge said. If life changes later, you can come back and ask for a change.
The first meeting
What a meeting with an attorney is like
It runs about an hour, in person or on video.
Bring what you have. Messy is fine. You will leave with a list of what to collect, the next date that matters and your written plan within the week.
You choose the room, or the camera
An interpreter, if you need one
One attorney leads, and a second knows your file
Start with the screening call
It is short, it is free, and it tells you whether we can help.
A screening isn’t legal advice and doesn’t make you a client.