Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey
My x-husband paid for my divorce agreement
That's right, you read correctly...without my knowledge or permission he paid for most of it and then my attorney sent me a $500 bill which I know is a partial balance since we spent more than 2-3 hrs face to face. Could my attorney have accepted (legally) any pmnt from my X for legal services against my former husband. I still did not pay the $500 and I am sure I will not hear from the attorney again re that balance because (I believe) he knows he did something unethical. So my questions are.... how to proceed to get the details of any pmnts from my X and can the agreement be null and void in view of these developments and finally what are my legal rights re my attorney (how to proceed). Thank you for your help and assistance.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: My x-husband paid for my divorce agreement
It is not uncommon for one spouse to pay some or all of the fees incurred by the other spouse in connection with a divorce. Without knowing much more detail, it is hard to tell whether anything unethical occurred here. And in fact, the attorney himself may not even know who made a payment. Often checks come in and are processed by a bookkeeper or billing department without the actual knowledge of the attorney. On the other hand, it is certainly possible that something unethical occurred here. I am just saying that it is not obvious based on the information you have provided.
It is imperative that you sit down with the attorney and discuss it with him. If you are not satisfied with the answers, you can file an ethics complaint with the attorney ethics committee for your county. Information would be available from the local county bar association.
Keep in mind that this advice is given based on the little bit of information that you have
provided in your question. My advice may change based on other information. Further, no one
can rely on advice from an attorney who has not been retained. You cannot rely on this advice
because we have not personally met and you have not retained me as an attorney. If you have any questions whatsoever, you should meet with an attorney for a full consultation before you take any further steps. Good luck! Rob Gleaner
Re: My x-husband paid for my divorce agreement
You have to consent to have someone else pay on your behalf. But again, just because he paid does not mean that the agreement is void. As Mr. Gleaner said, sit down with your attorney and discuss everything.