Limited Scope vs. Full Representation: Run the Numbers
Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated May 27, 2026
The $3,500 full-representation retainer looks bigger than a $2,300 flat fee — but a contested divorce is a series of services, and flat fees stack. This interactive tool — for visualization purposes only, never a quote — walks through a worked example or lets you build your own case from any combination of our limited-scope services, and prices both paths side by side: published limited-scope flat fees with the repeat-client discount (5% off your second service, 10% off your third and beyond within 4 months) and the option to handle steps yourself, against full representation at $300 per hour ($125 per hour for paralegal drafting) with a real trust-account simulation — the $3,500 retainer, replenishment deposits whenever the balance falls below the $750 minimum, a trial deposit that brings the balance back to $3,500, and any leftover funds returned to you. Court filing fees are separate on both paths.
What the Comparison Includes
- Complaint for divorce with children and temporary orders ($2,300 flat)
- Motion & hearing on temporary orders ($2,070 flat)
- Motion to appoint a guardian ad litem ($405 flat)
- In-person status conferences or pretrial hearings ($1,035 flat each) and virtual status conferences ($865 flat each)
- Negotiations or mediation ($1,095 flat)
- Sending and responding to discovery ($1,440 flat each)
- Subpoenas ($150 each on limited scope)
- Separation agreement ($1,440 flat)
- Trial on custody — half day ($3,335 flat) or full day ($3,500 flat)
On full representation the same steps are billed hourly, plus the work flat fees absorb: calls and emails with you, communication with opposing counsel, travel time, exhibit and witness preparation, and paralegal drafting at $125 per hour.
How We Set a Flat Fee
Every flat fee is the average cost of that service at our hourly rate: we take what the service costs on the low end and the high end and average the two. A status conference typically runs 2 to 4 hours with preparation — $690 to $1,380 — averaging to the $1,035 flat fee.
Build Your Own Case
Every limited-scope service in our catalog — complaints, motions, agreements, hearings, mediation, advice sessions — can be added to a scenario as many times as a case might need it, with the repeat-client discount applied automatically. Full representation is estimated for the same work from the attorney time each flat fee is built on (court appearances add preparation at half the hearing length), billed at $300 per hour against the trust account. This is for visualization purposes only and is not a quote: how a real case progresses, which steps it needs, and what they cost depend on the facts, the court, and the other side. Your written fee agreement controls.
Which Path Wins?
It depends on how contested the case is. For a lightly contested case, limited scope usually costs less — you buy only what you need, and you can handle steps yourself. For a heavily contested divorce with children, the flat fees stack service after service, and full representation can end up costing less overall even though the retainer looks bigger on day one. Compare the two representation types, see payment plans and financing, or book a $25 consultation for a written quote.
Call (844) 694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.
