When will I see my papers???

[impatntwren]

What is the name of your state?Ohio. My final divorce hearing ended in a five day trial back in January. I still don't have any final papers or child support orders. Admittedly I still owe my attorney 6 thou. out of twelve, but I was under the impression that I was just waiting for the judge to issue a final decision. So papers should still be filed with the court even if my attorney is withholding my copies because of the debt. Does anybody have any advice.. cuz I sure don't have 6 grand, especially with no child support and three kids.

[000]

I was a paralegal for a family law attorney.

The attorney does not want to file your final papers until he/she gets paid. I've seen this done many times. Attorneys learn that if a client has a bill and then has everything they need, they skip without paying the balance of the bill. This is leverage for getting paid. If you owe 6k, you obviously haven't paid a bill in a while. There is no incentive for the attorney to do any more work on your case until you do.

[LdiJ]

Originally Posted by 000

I was a paralegal for a family law attorney.

The attorney does not want to file your final papers until he/she gets paid. I've seen this done many times. Attorneys learn that if a client has a bill and then has everything they need, they skip without paying the balance of the bill. This is leverage for getting paid. If you owe 6k, you obviously haven't paid a bill in a while. There is no incentive for the attorney to do any more work on your case until you do.

Its very possible that this is the case. However...if by some chance the final paperwork WAS filed and has been signed by the judge, you can get a copy from the file at the courthouse. Just go down to the courthouse and ask to see your file.