Attorney Fees

My Name is Heather, and I am a single mother of two beautiful children: Alyson (18) and Cameron (8). My daughter is working full time and will be going to community college soon, and my son is a joyful second grader. The two of them complete my heartâ€"they are really all I have, as my immediate family is not supportive. I work full time to care for my kids, and yet there seems to be nothing leftover to save for a rainy day. It may be sunny outside, but it’s still a very rainy day for us. Cameron is a smart and sweet boy, who loves both his parents and loves the Lord. All he wants is for both parents to get along and to enjoy his time shared between us. Unfortunately, this has become a challenge as my character has been attacked while I’ve been embroiled in a stressful custody battle for a long time. I am emotionally and monetarily drained. My hope, and my prayer, is simple: I would like to modify the parenting plan to be consistent for my son’s sake, and fair to both parents. I would like the truth to be heard. After a terrible experience with a pro-bono lawyer, I finally have a wonderful lawyer who understands the difficult situation my family is faced with, and who has the skills to help us. But, those skills cost more than expected. Because my previous legal help left me with a disorganized mess, the fees I’m now faced with are more than I can handle on my own. To date, my attorney’s help has cost me $10,500.00. But, we still have to go to trial because there is a lot to resolve. I'm not used to asking for help like this. I had expected to use my tax refund to pay my monthly attorney fees, but was surprised to learn that I owed money to Uncle Sam instead. Now, I have to arrange to pay that, on top of paying my lawyer for continued services that are critical in preparing for the upcoming trial on June 30th. By April 1st my account was negative $-3100.00 and she sent me a financial demand that increases my retainer fee to $4500.00 (which has to be padded at all times) in order to see us through trial. Thanks to your donations my extended deadline of $3100 by April 30th was recently met however, in order for to start preparing for trial on 6/30, I still have to have to suffice the $4500 retainer fee by no later than 5/23 or she will not be able to represent my case because there will not be enouph time to prepare and manage her other client in a short period of time. She may require additional fees after that, too, if our case is dragged out. The clock is now ticking. My fear is that her withdrawal will leave me emotionally bankrupt and vulnerable, and cost Cameron and I the very precious bond that a mother and son share. It is evident that my son’s father is prepared to push for full custody using some false allegations and alienation, but I can’t defend myself and help my family stay together and stay strong without a knowledgeable and thorough attorney. Money is not an issue for my son’s father, which is helping him push me out of Cameron’s life.
 
  My goal is not to keep Cameron from his fatherâ€"everâ€"because I believe children need both parents. I have prayed for God’s help, and I seek yours too, to help keep my little familyâ€"my truest treasuresâ€"together. Please help restore my hope and my family’s future. Your financial gift will go straight to my attorney’s trust account, but your generosity will go straight to my heart. Thank you for your immediate help and for sharing my story. Be Blessed,
  Heather Jeremiah 29:11