Hourly Rate Services can include case assessment, investigation, information discovery, advice, negotiation, mediation, option generation, legal research, education, coaching, drafting, and court representation.
Hourly Rates for our Staff:
Collaboratively trained Attorneys & Mediators:
Jennifer Hawthorne Kelsey, Partner – $350 per hour
Justin L. Kelsey, Partner – $500 per hour
Karen Van Kooy, Of Counsel – $425 per hour
Some of the hourly services can be replaced with the flat fee services described further below, but many of them are too variable to offer for a flat fee. For reference we have also provided some of our typical hourly ranges for different services so that you can estimate your potential needs.
How much a Divorce or other family law case costs depends on how difficult the conflict is and how complicated the issues are. In addition, some processes are more expensive than others:
Mediation Services: While we cannot guarantee how many hours a case will take, our typical divorce mediation averages 10-15 hours. We typically schedule one to two hour mediation meetings, and your card is only charged after the meeting for the total time of that meeting.
As an example:
If your mediation case takes five two hour sessions (10 total hours) with mediator Jennifer Hawthorne ($350 per hour) then the total cost would be $3,500 for the mediation. If Jennifer also prepared the Joint Petition paperwork and Agreement this usually takes an additional 2-4 hours ($700-$1,400), then your total cost including the filing fee ($215) would be between $4,415 and $5,115.
Litigation: No-one can guarantee how much a case in court will cost. One of the driving factors is how many court hearings are required. A trial can easily cost $50,000 per person and often more, but most cases settle prior to trial. At Skylark our goal is to have as many meetings outside of court as possible because these meetings are more likely to reach settlement and reduce the unpredictable costs of court.
As an example:
If a divorce case requires two full court hearings (a Motion for Temporary Orders and a Pre-Trial Conference) then each party should budget 8 hours of time for each of those hearings, and the same amount of time in preparation for those hearings (8 hours minimum each). At an hourly rate of $350 per hour the cost could easily be $11,200 (32 hours multiplied by $350 per hour) and this doesn’t include the cost of discovery, advice, legal research, etc.
Attorney Negotiation:
For that same price you and the other side could meet 16 times for 2 hours per meeting. Even if you allot 2 hours in preparation time for each meeting that’s still 8 meetings. It’s unlikely that most cases would require that many meetings, even when highly contested, so the value of trying to resolve outside of court is obvious.
Collaborative Divorce: Just like the other processes, it’s impossible to guarantee how much a Collaborative Divorce case will cost in total. A good estimate is that each 2 hour joint meeting will additionally take 2 hours of preparation. If a case takes 6-8 meetings (average) then the cost is similar to effective attorney negotiation as described above. However, the focus of collaborative divorce is on providing greater value to the relationships that are part of the conflict. To learn more about the value provided in Collaborative Divorce click here.
Retirement Division in Divorce (usually via QDRO or DRO) is complicated and can often result in ongoing conflict after the divorce process was supposed to be over. To avoid this part of your divorce dragging on, we offer the following service:
Retirement Division Mediation Session (1 hour) – $500 – Justin Kelsey prepares QDROs and DROs for Gray Jay Endeavors, LLC and is an experienced mediator. Putting these skills together, Justin can join your case (whether you are in a mediation, negotiation, or litigation) for a one-time retirement division information and mediation session helping you get the retirement division right the first time!
Once you have an agreement or judgment, we recommend Gray Jay Endeavors, LLC for the preparation of QDROs and DROs. They offer flat fee preparation of QDROs and DROs, and hourly consulting services to ensure that Divorce Agreements contain the necessary language for the proper division of a retirement account. Visit their pricing page here.
How much probating a case costs depends on the size of the estate, whether there is conflict between heirs, and how complicated the issues are. In addition, some processes are more expensive than others:
Probate Mediation Services: While we cannot guarantee how many hours a case will take, we typically schedule two hour mediation meetings, and you are only charged after the meeting for the total time of that meeting.
As an example:
If your mediation case takes five two hour sessions (10 total hours) with mediator Beth Aarons ($300 per hour) then the total cost would be $3,000 for the mediation, plus any time necessary to prepare documents.
Probate Litigation: No-one can guarantee how much a probate case in court will cost. One of the driving factors is how many court hearings are required. At Skylark our goal is to have as many meetings outside of court as possible because these meetings are more likely to reach settlement and reduce the unpredictable costs of court.
Business Mediation Services – $500 – $1000 per meeting: While we cannot guarantee how many hours a case will take, we typically schedule two hour mediation meetings, and you are only charged after the meeting for the total time of that meeting (hourly rate of the mediator multiplied by the time taken).
Jennifer Hawthorne Kelsey, Partner – $350 per hour
Justin L. Kelsey, Partner – $500 per hour
Karen Van Kooy, Of Counsel – $425 per hour
This allows for very predictable mediation costs. You can schedule a 2-hour mediation session with Justin L. Kelsey, Partner, and know that your total cost for that meeting is capped at $1,000.
Justin and Jennifer have participated as panelists and trainers in hundreds of training events, including presentations at
MCLE,
MCLC,
MCFM,
CDSC,
APFM,
IACP,
DMTA and for numerous other organizations both locally and nationally. They have spoken on a wide range of issues including interest-based negotiation, mediation, collaborative law, custody and support jurisdiction, marketing, alimony, and child support.
Speaker & Training Fees:
1-2 hour Workshop – $1,000*
Fully day or multi-day training – $2,500 per day*
*The above flat fees include all preparation time but do not include travel and lodging costs, which are also required for trainings outside of Massachusetts. For non-profit and charitable organizations these fees may be negotiable.
To hire Justin or Jen for a speaking event call 508.655.5980 or
e-mail us.
Justin Kelsey provides consultation services at his regular hourly rate of $500 per hour to lawyers and mediators for the following purposes:
- Litigation Strategy, Mentoring, and Support
- Mediation Mentoring
- Collaborative Practice Mentoring
- Practice Management Mentoring
- Marketing & Social Media Mentoring
Jennifer Hawthorne Kelsey provides consultation services at her regular hourly rate of $350 per hour to lawyers and mediators for the following purposes:
- Mediation Mentoring
- Collaborative Practice Mentoring
At the outset of a case we typically obtain a credit card authorization through Stripe when our clients hire us. If you provided your card through Stripe then you will be charged directly after being sent an invoice for services provided.
If you are paying an outstanding invoice, and do not have a card on file with us, please use the “Pay Outstanding Invoice With Credit Card” button below.
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Initial One-Hour Consultation Price – $200