Also, are you married to this atty ?
Maybe hiring an atty who has an office across from the court (and knows the Judge & how s/he will rule) is a better option - no travel time & the court is their 'home court'.
How complex is your case ?
Don't waste atty time - it's $5.83 per minute, $29.15 for every five minutes; $58. for ten minutes.
Don't spend time on pleasantries w/the atty - get to business (and don't use the atty for hand-holding). That clock is ticking as soon as the phone connects, or the atty touches paperwork.
List your main goals; list all questions for the atty ahead of time - do research before asking the atty your questions.
Keep your questions succinct.
ID your goal and don't argue the small stuff.
Tell the atty, in writing, you want the case set for trial, with no continual negotiation with your opponent.
Only do the settlement conference as required by the court.
Make it clear to your atty, in writing, that you want to take the case to trial, as soon as possible & you don't want to be billed for back & forth correspondence with the other party's atty as you know they are intractable and this would not be productive.
What a shame.
$15,000. down the toilet & you're a Dad - meaning there's a kid who will need that money for college or a start in life.
Have you tried talking to the other party to see if both of you can keep the money earmarked for your child ????
In some areas there's a free Dispute Resolution Center; some pastors/priests/rabbis/reverends can also offer free counseling & resolution.
If this is a divorce, remember - you guys will probably share grandchildren; you will have to learn how to cooperate & coparent.
Also - always remember: at the end of the day, the Judge and the lawyers go home to their families, no matter the outcome. Only you & your opponent & child has to live with the consequences.
Don't think the atty owns the problem - you do. We go on, to the next case.
It has always amazed me that people who wouldn't trust their child with a stranger, would put their child's future in the hands of a Judge who may make a split-second decision which might be a totally rotten decision for the child (and/or for the parents).
Mediation may be a better answer than making the wounds deeper.
Why can't you buy Nolo's books and represent yourself ??
CA Courts are, frequently, deciding cases on the filings, not on trials (heck, they're pushing attys to stipulate to all but the main points, and even then they're telling the attys to go back out into the hall and settle the issues. About 98% of the cases are settled in the hallway).
Very good attys in CA are 'unbundling' services - you substitute in as representng yourself and you can hire an atty for only the court appearance, or only for help with pleadings or just for advice ...
Your call. If you have a prosperous business, a large 'separate property' issue, or a vicious opponent regarding child-sharing, maybe it's necessary to keep your current atty.
