My attorney needed 3000 up front, I got $500 back in the end. She was a great attorney and actually had been divorced from a husband who cheated on her! The best one to get in my case. I guess you could say I was lucky in on respect, my ex wanted the divorce so bad and wanted to get back to the sl*t he was hooked up with he agreed to almost everything I asked for. Even though I came out with more money than he did and I get a higher percent of the profet from the house when it sells, even with all of that I would have given every penny up to save my marriage. This girl (and I use that term loosly) was someone he had dated 36 years ago and she had cheated on him with his best friend at that time. So after her 2nd divorce she came looking for my ex and knew all the right things to say to him in the middle of his mid life crisis and he fell for it hook line and sinker. Because he travels for work he is only at her house on the weekends and it is party time. He spends so much money on her, buys her things, pays her to let him live there and takes her out to dinner every weekend. I am sure he will start running out of money and have to slow down on the spending and I am also sure she will not like that. At this point I would love him to come crawling back to me after she kickes him out and I would love to slam the door in his face. None of that will happen I am sure but sometimes it is a nice thought.
Anyway back to the lawyer, all the ones I had called would let me come in and tell them what is basicly going on but if I wanted anything from them at all I would have to put a retainer down and if anything was left over I would get it back.