Above: Surgeon operating on wounded prisoner. c1903. Library of Congress.
$400 Hourly Rate Reasonable For Divorce Attorney In L.A. Case.
Ex-husband, an orthopedic surgeon who lost his job but became reemployed, was ordered to pay $15,000 in needs-based attorneys fees under Family Code sections 2030/2032 to his ex-wife, who was unemployed and a stay at home mom—one half of her $30,000 fee request.
Husband’s appeal of the fee award was unsuccessful in In re Marriage of Price, Case No. B263562 (2d Dist., Div. 6 Oct. 18, 2016) (unpublished).
The record showed a disparity in income, with husband having money to make an IRA contribution, making various bank deposits, and having imputed income based on medical speaking engagements. As far as wife’s counsel seeking $400 per hour for disso work, the appellate court did not find this rate shocking at all.