As a Buffalo Divorce Lawyer, I am often asked if you can require your spouse to pay for the divorce fees. While no one can require the other party to pay their legal fees, New York State law does contain a provision under which either the husband or the wife can apply to the court to have the other person pay all or a portion of their legal fees. Most often, that decision depends on many circumstances – the most important of which is each party’s income. Generally speaking, if the husband and wife are making approximately the same amount of money, absent any other circumstances, each person would have to pay their own legal fees. On the other hand, if one spouse makes considerably more than the other, the person who’s making the lower amount of money can apply to the court, asking the court’s permission to have their spouse pay a portion of their legal fees. You can’t require the other person to do it, but you can certainly make an application based on financial circumstances to have the other person pay part or all of the legal fees.
Is your spouse the monied spouse and you wish for them to pay for the divorce? Contact experienced Buffalo Divorce Lawyer Michael Ranzenhofer for guidance.
This educational legal blog was brought to you by Michael Ranzenhofer, an experienced Buffalo Divorce Lawyer.