The ten lines
Each heading is a line on the cost calculator. Low, Medium, and High are how contested that line looks, not a fee schedule.
01 · Low · Med · High
Pleadings and Filings
In Western North Carolina family court, pleadings and filings are the papers that open a lawsuit or respond to one: a complaint or motion in the cause, an answer, supporting affidavits, and the clerk filings that assign a file number in districts such as the 28th (Buncombe). They frame what the court is asked to decide (custody, support, equitable distribution, or related Chapter 50 and 50B issues). This calculator line is a sample range for that paperwork, not a quote.
02 · Low · Med · High
Motions and drafting
Motions are written asks for a ruling while the case is pending. In North Carolina district court that often includes temporary parenting or support, contempt, protective orders, or other Chapter 50 / 50B requests, plus the drafting that supports them. High-conflict matters tend to involve more motions and more revisions. The range here is a sample estimate for that drafting work, not a fee quote.
03 · Low · Med · High
Motion Hearings
A motion hearing is the court date on which a judge hears argument and, when needed, live evidence on a pending request. Family calendars in Buncombe and neighboring WNC counties can mean waiting, short settings, or continued dates. Time in the courtroom, travel, and preparation for that appearance are what this line is meant to capture. Figures are sample estimates only.
04 · Low · Med · High
Discovery and document production
Discovery is the formal process of exchanging facts in a North Carolina civil case: interrogatories, requests for production, subpoenas, and related follow-up. In family matters that often means pay stubs, tax returns, bank and retirement records, parenting communications, and property documents. When information is incomplete or contested, the volume of production rises. This line is a sample cost range for that work, not a retainer.
05 · Low · Med · High
Depositions
A deposition is sworn testimony taken outside the courtroom, usually before a court reporter, with both sides’ lawyers present. In a WNC family case it may be a party, a treating professional, or another fact witness. Cost includes the lawyer’s time to prepare, attend, and review the transcript, plus typical reporter fees in the sample range. It is not a quote for a particular deposition.
06 · Often off at Low
Witness preparation
Witness preparation is the office time spent getting a party or other witness ready to testify at a hearing, deposition, or trial: reviewing what the questions may cover, walking through exhibits, and staying within the facts. In higher-conflict custody or support cases that work can be extensive; in a straightforward matter it may not apply at all. The sample range is for discussion only.
07 · Often off at Low
Mediation and ADR
Mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) are structured talks aimed at a written agreement instead of a contested trial. Many North Carolina districts, including Buncombe, send contested custody to mediation before a judge decides parenting. This line covers lawyer time around that process, not the mediator’s separate fee unless included in a particular engagement. Sample figures only; not a quote.
08 · Low · Med · High
Trial Preparation
Trial preparation is the work of assembling the case for a contested hearing or trial: exhibit lists, witness outlines, proposed findings, and the notebook or digital bundle the lawyer will use in court. In North Carolina family court that often follows failed or incomplete mediation. More issues and more exhibits mean a higher range. These amounts are sample estimates, not a trial retainer.
09 · Low · Med · High
Days of trial
Days of trial cover time in the courtroom for a contested family trial or multi-day hearing: argument, evidence, and the waiting that district-court calendars in Western North Carolina often involve. A short setting and a multi-day custody trial sit at opposite ends of the sample range. This is a budgeting range, not a quote for a reserved trial date.
10 · Low · Med · High
Proposed / consent orders and post-trial
After a ruling or an agreement, North Carolina family court still needs a written order. This line is the drafting of proposed orders, consent orders, and post-hearing or post-trial paperwork so the clerk and the parties have an enforceable result (parenting schedules, support, or property terms). Revisions after the other side objects can raise that line. Sample estimate only, not a quote.