Hiring a Divorce or Family Lawyer in Arkansas
How divorce lawyers in Arkansas charge, the state's filing rules, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Arkansas: fee rules
| If a lawyer takes your money | Arkansas has a Client Security Fund overseen by the Arkansas Supreme Court's Client Security Fund Committee, whose members are appointed by the Court; the Administrative Office of the Courts (625 Marshall Street, Little Rock; 501-682-9400) is the listed contact. |
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Arkansas rules to know first
| Residency requirement | Either spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before the divorce case is filed, and for three full months before the final decree is granted. If the other spouse cannot be personally served or does not appear, the filing spouse must have actually lived in Arkansas for at least three full months before the decree. Arkansas Code text read on a public code mirror (FindLaw, current as of March 28, 2024), because the official Arkansas Code is published through LexisNexis. Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-307(a)(1) |
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| Filing fee | Arkansas sets a uniform circuit court filing fee of $150 to start a case, and $50 to reopen a case with the same parties and issues. No fee is charged when the court allows an indigent person to proceed in forma pauperis under Rule 72 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure. Read on a public code mirror (FindLaw, current as of March 28, 2024). Other statutory charges may apply to divorce filings; confirm the total with the circuit clerk. Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Arkansas Bar Association runs ArkansasFindALawyer, an online directory you can search by name, firm, city, postal code (within a set distance) or area of practice. The bar's page does not describe it as a referral service and states no consultation fee. The bar's general line is 501-375-4606. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Arkansas Judiciary's online Attorney Search lets you look up lawyers by last name, first name, city, ZIP code or bar number; attorney rosters are also posted. The site says its information is not the official record kept by the Clerk of the Courts and directs users to the Clerk's Office at (501) 682-6849 to verify. Rosters: https://attorneyinfo.aoc.arkansas.gov/roster |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Arkansas lawyers are handled by the Office of Professional Conduct of the Arkansas Supreme Court (Administrative Office of the Courts), One Capitol Mall, Suite 3D-101, Little Rock, AR 72201-1049; phone 501-376-0313 or toll-free 800-506-6631. File using the office's grievance form (printable for mailing or fillable for emailing). Disciplinary decisions are posted online, and paper copies are available from the Clerk of the Courts at $0.50 per page. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Aid of Arkansas is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for Arkansas and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The Arkansas Bar Association also points people to Arkansas Access to Justice (arkansasjustice.org), Arkansas Free Legal Answers (ar.freelegalanswers.org) and Arkansas Law Help (arlawhelp.org) for free legal information and help. Bar legal assistance page: https://www.arkbar.com/?pg=LegalAssistance |
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All legal help in Arkansas · Do I need a lawyer?
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.