FAQ About Our Family Law Firm's Services and Fees
You have questions about our services and fees? We have your answers here
Farzad & Ochoa Family Law Attorneys, LLP is not one or two lawyers who dabble in divorce and family law along with various other areas of law.
We are a team of dedicated family law attorneys and a respected Southern California family law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, California.
You care about the quality of the legal representation. So do we. It's our highest priority.
You want that representation at a competitive price, not "cheap" work that comes with inferior quality or foolish shortcuts. You want experience and intelligence in and out of the courtroom. That is what and who we are.
For you, we have created this list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about our firm's services and fees. We will update this page from time to time as needed. Ready? Let's get to it.
Click on the "Q" before each title if you want to automatically scroll down to that portion of the FAQ.
FAQ about our family law firm
Is family law your only area of law?
Yes, our law firm exclusively handles family law matters. That includes divorce and parentage cases, both before and after judgment. It also includes domestic violence restraining orders.
In what counties do you handle family law cases?
We have offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Most of our cases are in these three counties.
We will handle select Southern California cases outside of these three counties, but only in Southern California.
Our attorneys are licensed in the State of California. We do not handle any matters outside of California.
Do you represent clients if they are located outside of California but have a family law matter in the counties you mentioned above?
We represent California residents who have an actual or potential family law case in the California counties we handle.
We also represent residents of the United States or Canada who have an actual or potential family law matter in the same California counties.
We do not consult with or represent any person located outside of North America and/or who is a resident outside of North America, even if that person has an actual or potential case in one of the above California counties.
What sets you apart from other lawyers I may consider for my family law case?
First, all we do is family law. When you do one thing and one thing very well, clients are rewarded with knowledge, skill, and experience.
We see other lawyers and law firms who sell themselves as family law attorneys when in fact they handle different areas of law like personal injury, criminal law, bankruptcy, and/or immigration, etc.
We think hiring a family law firm that only handles family law matters provides more focused attention to a client's needs.
Second, we are a larger family law firm, not just one or two attorneys with a secretary. We have the lawyers and resources to handle complex matters that need considerable time and attention.
Third, we have a proven record of success for our clients in and out of the family law court room.
Fourth, we have a reputation as honest, hardworking, client and result focused family law attorneys.
FAQ about the types of cases we handle
What types of family law cases do you handle?
We handle divorce and parentage cases (parentage means child custody and child support cases for unmarried men or women). We handle cases before judgment and after judgment.
We also handle select family law appeals for appeals that arose out of a case in Southern California.
Our cases are usually of mid to high complexity or mid to high conflict, although we also do handle uncontested cases.
Most prospective clients seek out our firm because of our experience and litigation skills inside and outside the courtroom.
The family law cases we handle may include child custody, child and spousal support, domestic violence, property and asset division, separate and community property characterizations and disputes, business valuations and division, and more.
Are there certain types of family law cases or clients you don’t handle?
We do not represent the following people, nor take on the following types of cases:
- Child abusers,
- Domestic violence perpetrators including but not limited to any case where there has been a finding of domestic violence against the person contacting us,
- Those who have willfully failed to pay child or spousal support and now want to unjustifiably negotiate arrears that are clearly owed, or
- Men or women who intend to use the family law process for unlawful or improper reasons such as using children as leverage on financial issues, hiding assets or those who make false allegations of abuse, etc.
- Those who have had multiple prior law offices represent them. Generally, we do not consult on cases where the person contacting us had two or more prior attorneys.
We also do not handle collection of support cases, adoptions, guardianship cases, termination of parental rights cases, or dependency matters.
What if I am transitioning from a previous lawyer to you?
It is not unusual to have more than one lawyer throughout the life of a divorce or parentage case.
If you have had one prior lawyer, that doesn't necessarily keep us from taking on your case although we would want to know why you are changing lawyers because that is an important consideration.
As a general rule, we are cautious before we take on a pending matter from another attorney and are selective before we do so because we do not want that transition to interrupt the quality of the work we provide to our existing clients.
Our law firm however will not take over an active case if the prospective client has had two or more previous lawyers for that case or if the case has a prior history of litigation that makes it impractical for us to take it over.
What if I have been self-represented and want you to take over my case?
For the same reasons as stated above, we are cautious before we take on any pending, active matter.
The quality of the services we provide is our highest priority.
Therefore, there are times throughout the year where we may not take on any matter that is "pending", meaning there is an active case with court dates or events already in progress.
To determine whether we are taking on pending, active matters, please contact us and we will let you know.
Do you also handle divorce mediations?
Yes, if spouses both want to hire us to be their divorce mediation attorney, we offer that service throughout the State of California. We handle mediations through virtual communication platforms so that is the one area of our family law firm that is not limited to Southern California.
Contacting our family law firm
The best and fastest way to contact us is to call us during business hours, 8am to 5pm. Our direct numbers are (714) 937-1193 for our Orange County office, (213) 201-1199 for our Los Angeles office and (619) 929-3040 for our San Diego office.
You can also visit our contact us page for more information.
If you want to complete a form to contact us, scroll to the bottom of this page and you will see a contact form you can complete. After you complete it and click "submit" for the form, it will redirect you to a thank you page that explains what happens next.
Will I speak with an attorney about my case?
Yes, when you meet with us for an affordable strategy session, you speak with one of our experienced attorneys.
We prefer to have such sessions by phone or online video and/or audio conferencing. When the pandemic related issues are over, we can resume in-person sessions.
We are technologically savvy, and we can arrange for several types of online meetings to fit a potential client's scheduling needs and availability.
We do run a "conflict check" when you call or contact us through this website to make sure the other party (your spouse, ex-spouse or other parent) has not already consulted with us.
How long will I have to wait for a call back if I leave a message?
Most of the time, if we missed your call, we contact you the same day you called us and left a message. Sometimes, it may go to the next business day.
There are times our firm stops taking on new matters.
We do this if we believe to take on new matters may start to take away from the high quality of representation we provide to our existing clients. If that is the case, we let you know of that when you call.
FAQ about the initial strategy session
What is a strategy session?
How long does a strategy session take?
How much does the initial strategy session cost?
If I retain you after the strategy session, will you apply the fee I paid for it toward my retainer?
Will you answer my questions in the strategy session?
Can we discuss my situation at the strategy session without an obligation to retain you?
Will you give me a fee quote at the strategy session to take over my matter?
Do you offer hourly rates, flat fees or both?
Will you take on my case if I can afford your services?
What if my matter is urgent and I need immediate help? Can you take on my case?
How does the consultation process work for divorce mediations?
What is a strategy session?
A strategy session is a meeting between you and one of our experienced family law attorneys where we discuss the specific facts of your case (if one has already been filed) or matter (if a case is not open yet).
The strategy session is all about you.
We are here to answer your questions, discuss your concerns, educate you on how California law may apply to your facts and issues, etc.
We will discuss both strategy and budget on your case.
On complex financial or custody cases or those matters with a history of litigation behind it, it may require more than one session or a file review before we can answer your questions or discuss strategy. If so, we will give you a quote for that.
Note: strategy sessions are for individual representation. For those who instead seek divorce mediation, we offer a separate mediation consultation with both spouses.
How long does a strategy session take?
That depends on the complexity of your situation. Most sessions take one hour. Complex cases can take more.
How much does the initial strategy session cost?
That also depends on the situation. Sometimes we offer a free, initial session for up to 30 minutes. Other times, there may be a fee for the strategy session depending on the facts, issues and expected length of the session.
Either way, you will know ahead of time and before we set the session. Contact us and we will be happy to let you know regarding your specific situation.
If I retain you after the strategy session, will you apply the fee I paid for it toward my retainer?
Most of the time, yes, we do.
In most cases, we reduce your retainer (which is your retainer deposit you pay if you hire us) by the amount you already paid for the strategy session (if it was a paid session) so, if you retain us, rather than paying the retainer deposit in full, we sometimes subtract from that deposit the amount you already paid for the strategy session.
For example, if you paid $300 for a strategy session and the retainer would normally be $10,000 to hire us, your retainer deposit becomes $9,700 instead. We do this on most hourly rate matters. It is like getting the strategy session for free.
Will you answer my questions in the strategy session?
Yes, as to those that can be answered. If you ask a question that we cannot answer at the strategy session, we will tell you what additional information we need to answer it.
The question of course must be family law related. We don't give tax, insurance, financial planning, business management or estate planning advice. We can refer you to professionals in these and related fields if your wish.
Can we discuss my situation at the strategy session without an obligation to retain you?
Of course. We are here to help you, but we don't sell or pressure you to hire us. It's not our style.
We want the decision to hire us to be yours and yours alone. We don't influence that decision. We don't have to.
Will you give me a fee quote at the strategy session to take over my matter?
Yes, if your matter is one our firm will handle and with which we can help.
Since we don't have cookie-cutter fees, the fee quote will be customized to your case.
This fee quote will be for the initial retainer deposit.
We cannot give you a fee quote for what the entire case will cost. There are too many variables in play to do that, but we do tell you what the variables will be in your case.
Do you offer hourly rates, flat fees or both?
Our firm offers hourly rates.
Will you take on my case if I can afford your services?
There is more involved than that.
We need to also make sure we are a good fit for you, and you are a good fit for us.
We are selective about the clients we represent. We represent good people with the right intentions for themselves and their children.
That is exactly the kind of family law attorney a good person, going through this difficult time in life, should want - someone who is interested in your case and cares about the representation and result, not just a lawyer that wants your money.
What if my matter is urgent and I need immediate help? Can you take on my case?
Since we are selective about the cases we handle and we are not a "mill" (a mill is a lawyer or law firm that will take on any client who can afford the representation), we have to make sure we have the time to dedicate to your case on an urgent manner.
We are honest with you if we cannot take on your case because we cannot make the urgent time commitment.
How does the consultation process work for divorce mediations?
For those who seek a divorce mediation instead, we can schedule an informative consultation. Both spouses must be available for the mediation consultation although it is not unusual for one spouse to initiate the initial contact with us. Sometimes, the consultation is free. Other times, depending on the situation and the complexity of the case, there may be a fee for the initial consultation.
FAQ about the retention (hiring) process
Am I retaining a specific attorney to represent me or the law firm?
You are retaining our family law firm. Your case is assigned to a team you will work with throughout your case.
Will I sign a contract?
Yes, we will provide you with a contract. It is called a retainer agreement.
Will I get a copy of everything I sign?
Yes, you receive fully executed copies.
What payment types do you accept?
Check, cash and all major credit cards.
How will I be billed?
On hourly rate cases, you receive a bill once per month.
The bill is itemized and has all the information you need including but not limited to the date of each action for which you were billed, who did the work, the exact amount of time, the billing rate and total time spent on your case for the month.
Also, if you ever want to know where your billing is at during the month, you can call us. We are happy to provide you with up to date information.
How does retention work for a divorce mediation?
It is similar to what we wrote, above, except you and your spouse are both involved in the process. We provide you and your spouse with a written retainer contract. This contract explains our divorce mediation fees and costs. We work at hourly rates and there is generally an initial retainer deposit.
Communication during your family law case
Am I retaining a specific attorney to represent me or the law firm?
You are retaining the law firm, not a specific lawyer. However, a lawyer is assigned to your case.
That lawyer usually works with either a secretary or paralegal on your matter. At times, there may be more than one lawyer who works with you, especially during the more time-consuming parts of your case.
How often will we discuss my case?
We communicate regularly.
The divorce or family law process is a collaborative process. We cannot do it without you, and you cannot do it without us.
With most clients, we communicate 2-4 times per month, sometimes much more when it is a busy month and sometimes less if not much is going on in that specific month.
How does communication work for divorce mediations?
If you and your spouse hired us for a divorce mediation, we communicate with both of you throughout the matter.
Building a strategy for individual representation
What we write below is for individual representation. It does not apply to divorce mediations. See the next section regarding divorce sections.
How do we decide what should be done on my case?
A good strategy comes from four things:
- Understanding your facts,
- Understanding the facts your spouse or other parent want to advocate,
- Knowing what evidence (testimony, documents and witnesses) support 1 and 2, and
- Knowing how California family law and procedure apply to 1 and 2
That is the formula and it takes diligence, communication, patience and cooperation between you and us to build a strategy.
When can we make a settlement offer?
Settlement offers are part of the strategy.
In divorce cases that involve financial issues, we must have your preliminary declaration of disclosure and that of your spouse completed and in hand so we know what the assets, debts, income and expenses are.
If you and us do not believe the disclosures are enough and discovery (formal request for more information) is needed before you make offers, then, with your knowledge and consent, we start the discovery process, which sometimes starts at the outset of the case.
On family law cases that involve custody, we prefer to get those issues settled early unless there are significant disputes between the parents on what is in the children's best interest.
Settlements save time, stress, and money. But settlements should not be rushed nor delayed unreasonably.
A collaborative process for divorce mediations
If you and your spouse are hiring us for divorce mediation, the process is a little different.
Will my spouse and I be involved if we hired you for divorce mediation?
Yes, you and your spouse will be actively involved throughout the divorce mediation process. We collaborate with both of you and we do not have any substantive communications with one spouse that excludes the other spouse.
How does the divorce mediation process actually work?
We offer you some amazing guides on this website regarding divorce mediation. Here is a good article that will start you off - read about our 3 step divorce mediation process and how it can help you and your spouse achieve a successful and amicable resolution.
Bonus FAQ!
You seem awesome. Are you as awesome as you seem?
We really are. Once you retain us, you will see for yourself.
Got more questions?
Bring those great questions with you to an affordable strategy session. Let's chat about your case and make positive, forward progress.
Next step, contact us for an affordable strategy session
Read to talk? Contact us by phone. We will discuss your specific situation and determine if a strategy session is right for you.
Our family law firm has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.