Generally, each side is responsible for its own attorneys’ fees. Financial inability to pay, as opposed to financial unwillingness to pay, may be the biggest exception.
We mentioned temporary orders above. Frequently, if the divorce blindsided the obligee (person requesting support), the obligee cannot pay his/her bills, and the obligor (person paying support) is in a financial position to help, the judge may order the obligor to pay some or all of the obligee’s attorneys’ fees. Generally, these payments go directly to the obligee’s Kerrville family law attorney.
Either the petitioner (filing party) or respondent (nonfiling party) could be blindsided by divorce. Unexpected marital trauma, like an affair or domestic abuse, ends many marriages. Additionally, when petitioners are contemplating divorce, they usually don’t inform respondents of their plans.