Hiring a Divorce or Family Lawyer in Connecticut
How divorce lawyers in Connecticut 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 Connecticut: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Connecticut law caps contingency fees in claims for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage at 33 1/3% of the first $300,000, 25% of the next $300,000, 20% of the next $300,000, 15% of the next $300,000, and 10% of any amount over $1,200,000. A client may waive these limits only in a case that is substantially complex, unique or different, after the lawyer explains the limits and the right to seek another lawyer, and only through a written, signed and notarized agreement with a bold-type acknowledgment; even then the total fee cannot exceed 33 1/3% of the amount awarded or received. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 52-251c |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The Connecticut Bar Association offers low-cost fee mediation or arbitration, but only if both the client and the lawyer agree to use it. The Statewide Grievance Committee can also order a lawyer to take part in fee arbitration. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | Connecticut's Client Security Fund may reimburse losses from an attorney's theft, embezzlement or wrongful taking of money or property in the course of an attorney-client relationship or related fiduciary role; in limited circumstances it may cover an attorney's refusal to refund unearned fees paid in advance. Negligence, malpractice and investment losses are not covered. Apply on form JD-GC-15, signed under oath before a notary, with copies of proof of the loss, mailed to the Client Security Fund Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. Pamphlet referenced on the form: http://www.jud.ct.gov/Publications/GC016.pdf |
Connecticut rules to know first
| Residency requirement | A divorce or legal separation case can be filed as soon as either spouse has established residence in Connecticut. But the court can enter the final decree only if one spouse has lived in Connecticut for at least the 12 months before filing or before the decree, or one spouse lived in Connecticut at the time of the marriage and returned intending to stay before filing, or the cause of the breakdown arose after either spouse moved to Connecticut. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-44 |
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| Filing fee | The Superior Court entry fee for a civil case, including a divorce, is $360. The court must waive court fees for a party it finds indigent; a person is presumed indigent if they receive public assistance (such as state general assistance, temporary family assistance, SNAP or SSI) or have after-tax income of 125 percent of the federal poverty level or less. |
| Uncontested divorce | Yes. Spouses can file a notarized joint petition for nonadversarial dissolution if the marriage has broken down irretrievably, it has lasted no more than nine years, neither is pregnant, they have no children together, neither owns real property, their combined property (minus debts) is under $80,000, neither has a defined benefit pension, there is no pending bankruptcy or other family case, no restraining or protective order is in effect, and the residency rule is met. Both waive alimony, trial and appeal. The court sets a disposition date at least 30 days after filing and can grant the divorce without a hearing if any settlement agreement is fair and equitable. |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Connecticut Bar Association offers Find a Lawyer CT, an online search of lawyers by location and area of practice; the CBA's public page lists no consultation fee or referral phone line. CBA Member Service Center: (860) 223-4400. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Connecticut Judicial Branch's Attorney/Firm Look-up, compiled from records of the Superior Court clerk for the Hartford Judicial District and the Statewide Grievance Committee, lets you search by juris number, attorney last name or firm name, and town. Results show whether the license is active, whether it was ever inactive and why, and whether the attorney has been disciplined. The Judicial Branch does not guarantee it is a complete history; for an official licensing and disciplinary history, contact the Statewide Grievance Committee at (860) 296-3848. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievance complaints against Connecticut lawyers are reviewed, investigated and decided through the Statewide Grievance Committee (21 members, including 7 non-lawyers) with Statewide Bar Counsel. Use form JD-GC-6, filling out a separate form for each complainant and each attorney (do not name a law firm), and mail the original plus 6 identical copies, with copies of supporting documents, to Statewide Bar Counsel, Statewide Grievance Committee, 999 Asylum Avenue, Fifth Floor, Hartford, CT 06105. It is free to file. Filing does not itself get you reimbursed, though the committee can order restitution in some cases. A lawyer's disciplinary record appears in the Judicial Branch attorney look-up. Complaint form and instructions: https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/gc006.pdf |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for the state and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. CT Free Legal Answers, run by the Connecticut Bar Association and the ABA, lets low-income residents submit a civil legal question online and get brief advice from a volunteer lawyer. CBA public page: https://www.ctbar.org/public |
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All legal help in Connecticut · 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.