Clients are always concerned about the money it costs to talk to their attorney. But, don't make the mistake of not telling your attorney when you talk to your ex-spouse or your soon-to-be ex-spouse. When your ex's attorney calls your attorney, and talks all about how the two clients are working out a settlement, your attorney is not only going to look like a fool (for being left in the dark) but also now has to do some "fast foot work" to keep from LOOKING like a fool. Your attorney will also be upset with you, and rightfully so.
Yes, it costs to talk to your attorney, but don't make the mistake of paying for an attorney, and not letting them do the job for which they were hired. If you're not going to use your attorney to their fullest ability, then don't hire one.
Two primary rules in dealing with your attorney: (1) don't lie to your attorney. That also means don't try to "hide" anything from your attorney either - omission is the same as a lie to an attorney. And (2) tell your attorney about any conversations with your ex-spouse. The conversation will NEVER sound the same coming from your ex and his/her attorney, rather than the way the conversation took place according to you. If you're not comfortable with doing this with your attorney, perhaps you should re-consider the relationship between you and your attorney.
In my experience, it always costs a client MORE money for me to chase after a client, to find out what happened, after opposing counsel calls me about how the two clients had a long talk, and worked out a settlement. Inevitably, my client didn't work out a deal, but now I have to deal with the fall-out, and what opposing counsel claims happened between the two. It always costs more to put the "cat back in the bag," then never letting the "cat out of the bag" in the first place.
Best Rule: always let your attorney know what's going on between you and your ex-spouse. We attorneys can work cheaper with information than we can with surprise.
