Published numbers. Scope in. Scope out.

How you pay

Half at signing, half before filing or the hearing. Payment plans are available. If you may qualify for Legal Services of New Jersey or Legal Aid Society of Monmouth County, I will tell you that first.

Civil matters get a written retainer that lists the scope. Family matters that I do take get a written Rule 5:3-5 retainer listing what is in and out. If the other side contests, a custody evaluation is ordered, or assets need valuation, the flat fee ends or converts to hourly ($275/hr through December 8, 2026; $350/hr thereafter). I take contested matters on a very limited basis. A retainer is required for anything contested.

Discounts

These discounts apply to my attorney work fees — published flat fees and hourly rates. They do not apply to court costs, filing fees, service of process, certified copies, publication, or other out-of-pocket costs. Discounts cannot be stacked; if more than one could apply, you receive the single best applicable rate. I may ask for documentation before applying a discount.

• 15% off — Active-duty service members and veterans
• 15% off — Police officers in Monmouth County or Ocean County
• 10% off — Public school teachers in Monmouth County or Ocean County
• 10% off — Single parents
• 10% off — Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV)
• 10% off — People who regularly volunteer (weekly or biweekly) at a Monmouth County or Ocean County nonprofit, with proof

A free 30-minute phone consultation is available by appointment. Call 732-606-4516 to schedule. A meeting, including a free phone consult, does not establish an attorney-client relationship.

Included

• 30 minutes on the phone to hear the basics and say whether the matter fits this office
• Scheduling by calling 732-606-4516

Not included

• Drafting, filing, or a court appearance
• An agreement to represent you. A phone consult does not create that

A 45-minute meeting, video or in person by appointment — for when the free phone consult is not enough. Credited to the flat fee if you retain within 14 days.

I take all matters based on my case load and whether the case resonates with me. A meeting alone does not establish an attorney-client relationship. That relationship begins only after I have accepted the case and we have both signed a written retainer agreement.

Included

• 45 minutes to hear the facts and say whether the matter fits a published fee, hourly work, or a referral
• A short follow-up email listing next steps, if I have them

Not included

• Drafting, filing, or a court appearance
• Advice that continues after the meeting
• An agreement to represent you. A meeting does not create that. Representation starts only after I have accepted the case and a written retainer is signed

Opening rate: $275/hour through December 8, 2026 — the first three months after opening. Thereafter: $350/hour.

This is the rate when a matter would entail more than a flat fee: contested family work I agree to take, valuation, a plenary hearing, or anything whose scope will move. The total charge varies with the number of hours the matter takes. Time is billed in tenths of an hour. Work does not start until a written retainer is signed. This website is not the retainer and does not state the retainer amount.

You and your spouse already agree on the terms. I draft the marital settlement agreement that reflects those terms, and I write you a plain-English roadmap for the New Jersey uncontested, pro se divorce process: what to file, what the packet needs, and what to expect at the hearing, including the kinds of questions a judge usually asks. You file the papers and appear at the hearing yourself. This is limited-scope, unbundled help under Rule 5:3-5 — I am not appearing as your attorney of record for the filing or the hearing.

Included

• A consultation to walk through the terms you and your spouse have already agreed on
• Drafting of the marital settlement agreement reflecting those terms
• A written pro se roadmap: what to file, what the packet needs, and what to expect at the uncontested hearing
• One revision round inside that scope

Not included

• Negotiating the terms with the other side
• E-filing the complaint or appearing at the hearing on your behalf
• New Jersey filing fee, service of process, certified copies
• Any contested issue, or any term that is not already agreed

You already have a draft. I read it and tell you what it does.

Included

• Attorney review of one settlement agreement or parenting plan
• A written memo of issues, gaps, and questions
• One short follow-up email within 10 days

Not included

• Rewriting the agreement from scratch
• Negotiation with the other party or their lawyer
• A court appearance
• A Case Information Statement or child-support worksheet, unless we use the $750–1,100 range instead

You both agree the order should change. I put that agreement into a form the court can enter.

Included

• Intake confirming the change is agreed
• Draft stipulation and proposed order for one issue: child support or parenting time
• One revision round
• Written filing instructions

Not included

• A court appearance. Add $400–$750 if I appear
• A contested modification
• A custody evaluation
• The child-support agency’s triennial review, which is free, or an automatic COLA the agency already runs. I do not charge for those

A consent order for parenting time when you were not married. The court’s initial FD filing fee is $0.

Included

• Intake on the parenting schedule you have already agreed
• Draft FD papers and a consent order
• One revision round
• Written filing instructions

Not included

• A paternity trial or a custody evaluation
• A contested FD hearing
• Child support as a fought issue (an agreed support figure can be quoted into the same papers if it stays agreed)

One issue after a judgment, one motion package, one hearing. An extra issue is $250–$400. If a plenary hearing is needed, this flat fee ends or converts to hourly.

Included

• Intake on one post-judgment issue
• One motion or cross-motion package and supporting certification
• One court appearance on that motion

Not included

• A second issue, unless we add $250–$400 in writing
• A plenary hearing, a custody evaluation, or discovery beyond the motion papers
• Enforcement that turns into a new contested case

An uncontested adult name-change petition through the hearing.

Included

• Intake and the New Jersey name-change petition
• The supporting papers the court asks for
• Written instructions on filing, fingerprints if your county requires them, and publication if the court requires it
• Appearance at the uncontested hearing if the court sets one

Not included

• The filing fee (about $250)
• Publication, certified copies, fingerprinting fees
• A contested name change

A child’s name change when the other parent consents or does not object. A contested child name change is not a flat fee.

Included

• Intake and the petition for a minor
• Consent papers if the other parent is signing
• Written filing instructions
• Appearance at the uncontested hearing if the court sets one

Not included

• The filing fee (about $250)
• Publication or certified copies
• A contested child name change. That is a consult, then hourly work if I take it

One personalized known-donor agreement, drafted for you. Co-parenting or multi-parent intent is $1,295. Independent review of the other party’s draft is $550.

New Jersey’s rule that a semen donor is not a legal parent applies when the donation goes through a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse. A contract after an at-home insemination does not, by itself, cut off parental rights. I do not represent both sides.

Included

• Intake on the arrangement you actually have
• Drafting of one agreement for one party, or independent review of one incoming draft
• One revision round inside the original scope
• Written notes on execution

Not included

• Representation of the other party. Dual representation of donor and recipient is not work I take
• A parentage complaint, birth-certificate work, or fertility-clinic forms
• Negotiation with the other party as their adversary counsel on this fee
• A will or a parenting plan in the same fee, unless we are using the co-parenting fee and that plan is the project

Other agreement types — prenuptial, postnuptial, cohabitation, separation, standalone parenting plans, and related family agreements — are listed on the Agreements page. Those are quoted case by case as flat fees once I know the facts. Standardized published prices for them are coming; none are invented here.

Estate planning for a parent’s actual household. The supervised signing is part of the fee.

Included

• Intake and a simple-estate screening
• One New Jersey last will and testament, one power of attorney, and one advance directive per person in the bundle
• Guardian language for minor children if you have them
• Up to two revision rounds inside the original scope
• A supervised signing with witnesses and a notary

Not included

• Trusts, including special-needs trusts
• Medicaid planning
• Deeds
• Probate or estate administration later
• A fight already underway about the estate

Meeting support for a parent. Not due process.

If your household is under about 300% of the federal poverty level, I will refer you first to Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

Included

• Review of the IEP or 504 documents you send
• Attendance at one meeting
• One follow-up letter

Not included

• IDEA due process
• Mediation as counsel of record
• A second meeting, an ongoing school year of advocacy, or an expert evaluation

Limited-scope help if you are already in court

These are not the homepage offer. They are for people who already have a docket number and need a defined piece of help. Each one still needs a written limited-scope retainer.

Thirty minutes of teaching and strategy so you can prepare to appear pro se. This is not an agreement to represent you. It is not an appearance.

I do not take emergency TRO night court on this site or over email. If you need a temporary restraining order tonight, contact 180 Turning Lives Around and the legal-aid domestic-violence units. A limited post-TRO hearing package can be quoted after a consult, with a separate engagement letter. Under Rule 5:3-5, domestic-violence work must be expressly in or out of a family retainer.

Included

• A 30-minute strategy session
• Plain-English notes on what a hearing is and how to prepare as a self-represented litigant

Not included

• An agreement to represent you
• Filing a TRO or FRO, or appearing in court
• Night-court or emergency coverage

Other published civil and business fees

These published prices sit here for convenience. Housing work has its own housing page. Small-business work has its own small business page. Civil practice — small claims, Special Civil Part, and related limited-scope help — is on Civil.

Housing beyond the deposit fees

The security-deposit fees above are tenant-side recovery: demand letter $175, demand plus complaint $395, with an appearance $650. A real estate review letter is $150 — a letter, not a closing. Tenant defense, habitability, illegal-lockout strategy, landlord eviction, and lease review for either side are quoted after a conversation. Contested housing trials and lockouts that become plenary are hourly at $275 through December 8, 2026 ($350 thereafter) with a retainer, on a limited basis. See Housing.

Small-business contracts

LLC formation and an operating agreement is the published fee above: $895 plus filing fees. A client-facing services contract for your small business — the paper you send customers who buy your services — is $500.

Other small-business contracts — contractor and vendor agreements, NDAs, a simple offer letter or at-will agreement, website terms, and similar paper — are quoted case by case as flat fees once I know the facts. The list of contract types lives on the Small business page.

One client-facing services contract for a small business: the agreement you use with customers who buy your services. Limited-scope drafting. One party only.

Included

• Intake on how your business sells services and what you need the contract to cover
• Drafting of one client services agreement tailored to that scope
• One revision round inside that scope

Not included

• Negotiating the contract with a particular customer
• A second form of agreement (vendor, NDA, employment, website terms — those are separate)
• Ongoing general counsel, HR, or tax advice
• Court costs or filing fees (none are expected for this drafting work)

One letter to one employer putting them on notice of possible discrimination. This is a written notice. It is not a lawsuit, not an agency filing, and not ongoing representation of a discrimination case.

Included

• Intake on the situation you describe
• One letter to one employer, on my letterhead, noticing possible discrimination
• One short follow-up email to clarify the letter, if you write within 10 days

Not included

• Filing with the EEOC, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, or a court
• Negotiation, mediation, or a second letter after they reply
• A demand for a specific dollar amount unless we agree in writing that this letter includes one
• Representation of a discrimination claim after the letter is sent
• A letter to anyone other than that one employer (a second employer is a second fee or hourly work)

If intake shows the facts do not support sending this letter, or that you need a full discrimination matter instead, I will say so and this fee does not apply. A later signed retainer is still required before I send the letter.

A written letter after I review one defined set of residential real-estate papers, typically a New Jersey contract of sale, or a condominium or homeowners-association package you have already received.

Included

• Attorney review of one document set you send in complete form
• One written letter or memorandum of issues, questions, and items to raise with your realtor, seller, or title company
• One short follow-up email to clarify the letter, if you write within 10 days

Not included

• Attending a closing, walk-through, or inspection
• Negotiating with the other side
• Title search, survey, or municipal-certificate work
• Representation of the transaction
• A second property or a revised contract after the letter is delivered

You were in a car accident and want someone in your corner for the settlement conversation. This fee covers one settlement conference, call, or meeting with the insurance adjuster or the other side, and one negotiation or demand letter. If the matter needs more than that — another round of negotiation, a new letter, or a lawsuit — it moves to hourly at $275/hour through December 8, 2026 ($350/hour thereafter) from there, in writing, before I keep going.

I do not take a percentage of your settlement, and I do not work on contingency. If you are looking for a lawyer who only gets paid when you win, I am glad to refer you to one — but since I am just starting my own practice, I cannot offer that arrangement yet.

Included

• Intake on the accident and the claim so far
• One negotiation or demand letter to the insurance adjuster or opposing party
• One settlement conference, call, or meeting to negotiate on your behalf

Not included

• A second round of negotiation or a second letter. Billed hourly at $275 through December 8, 2026 ($350 thereafter) from there
• Filing a lawsuit or a court appearance
• Any percentage of, or contingency arrangement on, your settlement
• Medical liens, PIP arbitration, or a UM/UIM claim as its own matter

I mediate as a neutral third party for family or general civil disputes — I do not represent either side, and I do not decide the outcome. This fee is a 2-hour mediation block, in person or by video. Time beyond that block is billed at $400/hour, shared equally by the parties unless you agree otherwise in writing.

I completed court-approved mediation training in 2019, while I was working as a judicial law clerk.

This is my own private mediation service, not the court's mediation program. New Jersey's court-annexed civil and family economic mediation under Rule 1:40 is a different, separate track: a roster mediator's first two hours are free, and only time after that is billed, at that mediator's own posted rate. This flat fee is for mediation you hire me for directly, outside of that court program.

Included

• Intake from both sides on the issues to be mediated
• A 2-hour mediation session, in person or by video
• A short written summary of what was, and was not, resolved

Not included

• Time beyond 2 hours, billed at $400/hour
• Drafting the final settlement agreement or consent order (a separate fee)
• Representing either party — in this role I am neutral, not your advocate
• A matter with an active domestic-violence restraining order

Not sold as a flat fee

These start with a paid consult, then hourly work at $275 through December 8, 2026 ($350 thereafter) with a retainer, and only if I take the matter. I take contested work on a very limited basis. A retainer is required.

• Contested custody trials
• Relocation
• Alimony trials
• Business or retirement valuation
• Special-needs trusts
• IDEA due process
• Dual representation of a donor and a recipient
• Dual representation of a landlord and a tenant
• Dual representation of two co-founders in a fight

How a matter starts

Writing this office, filling out a form, sending documents, or meeting with me does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not mean I have accepted your matter. A meeting alone does not establish an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship begins only after I have accepted the case and we have both signed a written retainer agreement. Until then, do not send confidential information you need protected. This website is not the contract.

I take all matters based on my case load and whether the case resonates with me. I may also decline because of a conflict, competence, or calendar. That is ordinary. The written retainer, sent only after I accept the case, is the only agreement. It is not published on this website.

Write about your matter