The decision to appoint an amicus attorney is discretionary. If either side files a Motion to Appoint Amicus Attorney, the Judge will consider the arguments of both attorneys in deciding whether the assistance of an amicus attorney is helpful to the Court.
What is Amicus Attorney? Amicus Attorney is an intuitive case management solution that tracks and invoices billable time, automates important documents, and provides easy access to all your clients and case files. Work from your desktop or in the private cloud while integrating with QuickBooks and other applications.
The opinion and recommendation of the amicus attorney is a huge factor in the outcome of the case, because the amicus attorney is a neutral party without any bias toward either parent, and is generally trusted by the Judge.
Generally, the Judge orders each side to pay half of the fees incurred by the amicus attorney, although the Judge will sometimes allocate the costs differently based on the income and financial stability of each party. County resources are typically not used to pay amicus attorney fees in a contested divorce or custody case.
Amicus Attorney pricing starts at $69.00 per user, per month. They do not have a free version. Amicus Attorney offers a free trial. See additional pricing details below.
Amicus Attorney is an intuitive case management solution that tracks and invoices billable time, automates important documents, and provides easy access to all your clients and case files. Work from your desktop or in the private cloud while integrating with QuickBooks and other applications.
MyCase is a top-rated, complete law practice management solution with all the tools firms need to run a better practice, from anywhere. ...
Overall: Overall, Amicus is a solid case management software, but given their choice to switch to a model that does not truly have their customer's best interests in mind, it was simply not a software we could continue to use or support.
Overall: I have used Amicus Attorney in the past and have always been happy with the efficiency it offers. I am the administrator and daily user of the program. The billing program is easy to use and the organization of client's files is a time saver.
It is difficult to answer your question regarding cost because not all attorney's charge the same. The hourly rate can range from approx. $200/hr to maybe $400/hr. It depends on the attorney. The big difference with the Amicus Attorney, is that the cost is usually split between the parties.
In addition to the other replies, the appointment of an amicus is at the discretion of the judge. In some instances, even where an amicus would be of use, the court may not appoint one because the parties just can't afford to pay the costs involved. In other instances, where there is a large disparity in income/assets, the court may appoint an amicus but not divide the fees 50-50. One side may be ordered to pay in excess of 50%.
The duty of the amicus attorney is simply to assist the Court in protecting the best interest of the children. The amicus attorney will want to meet with the children to determine their wishes, visit the homes of each party and observe the relationship and interactions between each parent and the children, and talk to other witnesses about the case (i.e. school teachers, CPS caseworkers, family friends, etc.). Once the amicus attorney has completed the investigation, he or she will be ready to appear at trial, question witnesses and make a recommendation to the Court. The opinion and recommendation of the amicus attorney is a huge factor in the outcome of the case, because the amicus attorney is a neutral party without any bias toward either parent, and is generally trusted by the Judge.
Generally, the Judge orders each side to pay half of the fees incurred by the amicus attorney, although the Judge will sometimes allocate the costs differently based on the income and financial stability of each party. County resources are typically not used to pay amicus attorney fees in a contested divorce or custody case.
The decision to appoint an amicus attorney is discretionary. If either side files a Motion to Appoint Amicus Attorney, the Judge will consider the arguments of both attorneys in deciding whether the assistance of an amicus attorney is helpful to the Court. Occasionally, the Court, on its own motion (without either side asking for it) decides that an amicus attorney would be useful. The Judge will consider all relevant factors in making this decision (i.e. age of the children, contested issues in the case, likelihood of obtaining all relevant information from each side without the assistance of an amicus attorney).
The opinion and recommendation of the amicus attorney is a huge factor in the outcome of the case, because the amicus attorney is a neutral party without any bias toward either parent, and is generally trusted by the Judge.
This lawyer is referred to as an "amicus attorney". This week's blog post will address the role of the amicus attorney in your case.