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The Runaway Costs of Divorce

Divorce litigation among high-net-worth couples routinely incurs runaway costs driven by hourly billing, expert fees, and procedural delays. Top family law attorneys commonly charge between $500 and $1,000 per hour, and elite partners may exceed $1,200 per hour for complex, asset-heavy cases. Retainers of $25,000 to $100,000 are standard, and these are frequently replenished as litigation progresses. When both sides engage high-powered counsel, legal discovery, business valuations, forensic accounting, and custody evaluations can push the total cost of divorce well into the six- or seven-figure range. Florida Statute § 61.16 allows courts to order the wealthier spouse to contribute to the other’s fees, but this rarely mitigates the cumulative financial burden. High-asset divorces in Miami are financially destabilizing enterprises that can consume years of income before reaching a settlement or judgment. Every dollar lost to runaway legal costs is money diverted from a family’s ability to withstand life’s inevitable setbacks, invest in their children’s education, and safeguard the legacy those children will one day carry forward.