Prices

Our rates for parties who represent themselves are generally as follows:

Divorce & Family Law Matters:

  • $595    Divorce – Summons, Petition, Request for Default and Fee Waiver.  Short declaration disclosure included.
  • $460    Divorce Response – Response, Fee Waiver.  Short declaration disclosure included.
  • $200    Divorce Amendment
  • $85    At Issue Memorandum
  • $595    Petition to Establish a Parental Relationship
  • $850    Petition to Terminate Parental Right
  • $530    Domestic Violence Restraining Order – Always prepared as a rush job.
  • $560    Ex Parte request for order – Always prepared as a rush job
  • $450   Request for Spousal Support, Child Support, or Other Order
  • $120   Additional Order Requests
  • $150*   Other family law pleadings
  • $75    Additional consultation or phone call – check dates, check case status, obtain extra copies, etc.

Grandparent Rights

  • $575    Petition to establish grandparent rights
  • $450    Objection

Adoption

  • $550    Petition to terminate parental rights for purpose of adoption
  • $850    Stepchild adoption

Guardianship

  • $850    Guardianship package
  • $250    Each additional child
  • $450    Objection

Other Civil Matters

  • $350    Plan Package – Power of Attorney, Advanced Healthcare Directive, Statutory Will
  • $530    Civil Restraining Order
  • $425    Summons and Complaint – Limited Civil
  • $650    Name Change
  • $150*   Other civil pleadings, answers to discovery, etc.

Notary

  • $15      Signature – Acknowledgment or Jurat
  • $150    Travel and admission to Kern County Sheriff’s Central Receiving facility
  • $120    Travel and admission to Kern County Sheriff’s Lerdo Pretrial facility
  • $160    Travel and admission to Kern County Sheriff’s Lerdo Justice facility
  • $65      Travel to most locations in Bakersfield

Criminal Matters

  • $350 Sealing Order, Petition to Dismiss, Petition to Reduce Charges, etc. – First case.
  • $200 Sealing Order, Petition to Dismiss, Petition to Reduce Charges, etc. – Cases 2-6
  • $150 Sealing Order, Petition to Dismiss, Petition to Reduce Charges, etc. – Each additional case in the same courthouse
  • $350 Quash restraining order

Evictions & Unlawful Detainers

  • $85      Notice – 3, 15, 30, or 60 Day Notice
  • $550    Eviction/Unlawful Detainer – Residential, Possession Only
    • Note: Evictions after 9/12/2021 will be charged at $1,100 due to the extreme effort required to process evictions under the covid rules.
  • $110 Writ of Execution

Odds and Ends

  • $150* Typing service – answers to discovery, response to demurrers, etc.
  • $150 Rush. It takes a few days to prepare documents for most cases, but we charge a bit extra and stay after hours for clients who need to have their documents prepared immediately.

Rates for Process Service in Bakersfield

  • $85    Routine Service – 3 to 7 days
  • $95    Rush Service – 1 to 3 days
  • $120    Ultra Rush  – Within 24 hours
  • $160    NOW!  – Within two hours
  • $50     Declaration of Due Diligence

Other cities usually have similar rates if a process server is available in that city.  If a process server must travel from Bakersfield, an additional charge of $1.50 / mile is required, which includes both time and mileage.  Use any process server you like.  These are the fees for the process servers we regularly work with.

Notes:

* This is an hourly rate for typing and formatting

All fees are flat rate except fees that include an asterisk*.  Those fees are charged hourly because preparation time is almost completely dependent on the parties and not on the paralegals.

Prices are our fees and do not include court filing fees ($240 to $435), court motion fees ($85), process server fees (start at $85), court writ fees ($40), Probation Department research fee ($60), Sheriff fees ($145), or fees paid to others, some of which may not be needed depending on the case and the availability of fee waivers.