I paid my lawyers 2750 retainer fee. Well a month into its half gone and i have to replenish it. I had to get temp orders for child support, spousal maintanance and visitation. I charged it on my ex's credit card. Well now i have no access to credit cards, so where do i get the money to keep my lawyer.
I could ask family, but everyone is having hard times right now. My dad got laid off from his teachers job one year before retirement, go figure. My brothers have their own debt. I have no income. Just had a baby a month ago and i have to pay for utilities, food, everything except my mortgage and car payment. None of my family live in the same city. My dad is over an hour away.
I didnt realize that the retainer would go down that much and that i would have to keep all the money in there from month to month.
So can i get credit cards or loans with no income?
Anyone have any creative ideas of how to get some money? I need my lawyer. We have 3 kids and he doesnt want to give me anything. Without my lawyer i'll get stuck with only $538 a month in child support for 3 kids.
Getting a job and paying for 3 kids in daycare see, stupid to me as they would cancel eachother out.
Maybe you can either work something out with the lawyer, or you may need to find a new one. Here is some info. you might find helpful:
http://www.wikihow.com/Hire-a-Lawyer-When-You-Have-Low-In...
Hang in there!!
My dad gave me money to get me by plus I got a job.
I hate to say it with you having a newborn but you need to find a job. Yeah your dad got laid off but it doesn't cost him anything to babysit. You are going to have to work anyway so why not start working on getting a job now.
I know it sucks but you have to accept you will work, it is unavoidable. There are government subsidies for daycare for low income families not for lawyers.
I think you may need to find a different attorney. My attorneys retainer was 2000 but, I didn't have to keep replenishing it when it went down.....He let me make payments once the retainer was gone. Not all attorneys require you to keep your retainer at max dollar.
I don't have an answer for you about getting money now...but in the future when you are ready to work, you may want to consider something that is more flexible when it comes to childcare.
For example, you could start your own in-home daycare. I beleive you are allowed to babysit up to 5 other children w/o licensing, and up to 10 as a licensed child care home. This is in addition to your own. I know that sounds crazy - having up to 13 children in your home at one time, however, think of the income. Rates are between 120-175/week per child. So you could be pulling up to $6000 or more per month in tuition. Of course you have costs like food and activity supplies, but for a work-from-home, it could be very financially worth it for you.
If you are good at sales and are into fitness and health, you could consider working for a gym. The pay is usually a combination of hourly plus commission, and you will typically get free daycare and a gym membership. This way you can start to focus on your own needs as well, have interactions with other adults (which you are going to need as a single parent), and know that your children are cared for - right there with you.
Or there are options for starting your own home business. If you are crafty, consider starting something on Etsy.com or other similar sites. Do your research to see what sells and how you could quickly start making a good amount of money to support you and your household needs. Or house cleaning - right now, with all the foreclosures, many people are starting clean-up crew businesses and the banks are keeping them very busy.
Good luck!
I'm not sure your husbands income, but you not working actually can make child support lower, and while I understand that him leaving you with nothing is unfair, 538 in child support isn't unfair, there are sites online where you can calculate it if you have an idea how much he makes. That can let you know if you are actually getting what you should in that regard. It's actually a standard formula unless the attorney's request the judge to make exceptions.
As for the rest of it, it's already been said, but you will have to work sooner or later. You can't expect to walk away from a divorce with 3 kids and for him to just support you so you can sit home. Good luck.
I work for an attorney, and he takes monthly payments. Although it may cost a bundle to finish your case, you are right that it will be worth it. We have one client who has agreed to pay $200/month until his balance is paid off. Talk to your attorney about your options.
Also, you may want to look into services from Legal Aid. They provide services to low income families for very little or no cost.
Last, you should plan on getting a job when school starts up again in the fall. I know day care can be expensive, and it will eat up some of your money, but you will have to do it anyway. Home day care is usually a less-expensive option than sending your kids to a corporate daycare center.
Apply for a joint credit card in his and your name. Then keep charging. The balance will be considered int he divorce settlement.
Is your car reasonable on gas? I will commute an hour (one way) to college in the fall, so maybe you could find a decent job by your dad's and he can babysit for free, assuming he is fit and safe for babysitting your children. I just bought my grandpas 1990 geo prizm because them suckers get 34mpg. Why do you have to keep that account up? I thought you paid lawyers up front?... How long is this going to go on? Don't the courts usually finalize all that kind of stuff? Just curious... I'm not familiar with the process.
Maybe it should be in consideration on moving in with your dad and helping him pay the bills and he can babysit. Is your dad a healthy person for the kids to be around with and without you? If not moving in, then moving very close.
