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Met with attorney today
It went pretty well. He was very straight forward and even blunt at times. He dropped the f bomb a couple of times, but even though that struck me as unprofessional, I liked him overall. He seemed like he'd work hard to make sure I'd get what was fair. And I actually cried about 10 minutes into our meeting. I didn't even cry when I met with the counselor, but I guess it's because meeting with an attorney seems so much more final.
He said it's a $3500 retainer fee, but given my circumstances (2 kids, a house, no abuse/alcoholism...) that he thinks it'd cost about $5k in the end. He also said it could be over in as early as 6 months and that if papers are filed by mid-January, we could be in court before Valentine's Day.
When we talked about custody, he said there are 3 "parts" that make up custody, but I only remember 2 parts: 1. Physical custody and 2. Visitation. He said he could see this working with me getting physical custody, sharing equal visitation (or as equal as possible), and H paying a little less child suport than he normally would have to. However, I'd have to think about that last part to make sure I'd be able to afford a cut in CS. All the numbers I've figured are based on 2 amounts that I was hoping for, which are both within $25 of what the attorney figured. I would not get any support, which I didn't think I would, as I don't meet the criteria for that.
He said he tends to push people because he doesn't like to drag these things out, which is good, but he said he wouldn't push me if I wasn't ready. He said he'd like to meet with me again next week, at no cost, to discuss again. So, I have another appointment with him on January 4th. I feel like crying again as I'm typing this, but I know I am doing the right thing. We all deserve to be happy.
Our Angel baby, lost at 6w6d on 6/10/08
Re: Met with attorney today
I remember feeling absolutely numb when I met with my attorney for the first time. He was really good at removing the emotional component of it and reminding me that all I was asking him to do was dissolve a contract. The crying followed hours later. And then every day that followed. Why is it so hard to do the right thing for everyone?