Deciding to break up the family unit is one of the hardest decisions we make in our lives. But once the decision is made, the next questions follow quickly: which lawyer to choose, and how much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer.
If you have decided to divorce, you need to weigh the financial costs of the process, and those costs may well affect which lawyer you choose. It is always worth aiming for the best divorce lawyer you can get, but often the choice also depends on your budget and your financial options.
In this article we will present a table showing how much it costs to hire a divorce lawyer for various proceedings, and another table illustrating the gap between what lawyers earn in the center of the country and in the periphery.
How much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer – what is the average price?
The table below lists the average price ranges lawyers usually charge for the various proceedings. All prices exclude VAT.
| Type of proceeding
|
Price | Notes |
| Consultation meeting
|
500-1500 shekels | Some lawyers offer a free consultation, in the hope that the potential client will hire them and pay a fee for handling the case.
Others charge for the consultation, but if the client hires them, they deduct the consultation fee from the total charge for handling the case.
|
| Hourly consultation | 300-500 shekels.
|
Sometimes a consultation runs longer than an hour. It is therefore worth agreeing in advance on a single consultation fee that is not tied to the clock, so you are not billed for several hours.
|
| Handling the full legal proceedings
|
60,000-150,000 shekels | Handling the full proceedings usually includes a property claim, a maintenance claim, and a custody claim. |
| Handling a single claim
|
8,000-30,000 shekels | |
| Divorce agreement covering child custody
|
8,000 – 20,000 shekels | |
| Divorce agreement covering property division
|
8,000 – 20,000 shekels | |
| Application for a protection order and filing of affidavits | 15,000 shekels. |
How much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer – what factors affect the price?
Know that there is no ceiling on a divorce lawyer’s fees. Free-market rules apply, and any attorney in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or anywhere else may charge whatever fee he sees fit. That said, a professional and skilled lawyer sets his fees according to the following factors:
How much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer? By expertise and professional seniority
A lawyer with a reputation in his field, years of experience, and many successes behind him will charge a higher fee than a young lawyer just starting out.
How much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer? By the scope of the work
A lawyer’s fee is a function of the type and scope of the legal work. If, for example, the couple has no children or assets, the case can be closed in a small number of hearings, and the fee will match. When it comes to wealthy couples with children and many assets, the workload grows, and so does the fee.
Likewise, when the spouses cooperate and are willing to work through the divorce and its agreements together, relatively few hours are needed. When the spouses are locked in dispute and unwilling to give ground, handling the case demands many hours and resources, and the fee follows suit.
How much does it cost to hire a divorce lawyer – by market norms?
A professional and skilled lawyer will not inflate his fee. He will aim for a reasonable level, in line with what the market accepts and with his own standing.
Three things worth knowing about the price of a divorce lawyer
Be aware that fees will sometimes differ between a lawyer practicing in the center of the country and one in the periphery.
To illustrate the gap, here is a salary table comparing lawyers’ earnings in the center and in the periphery. This table does not deal with the fees we pay a divorce lawyer, but it gives a sense of the differences in earning levels.
| Seniority | Average salary in the center | Average salary in the periphery | Difference |
| Intern or new lawyer
|
6,830 shekels | 6,147 shekels | 11% |
| Lawyer with two years of experience
|
8,470 shekels | 7,350 shekels | 15.25% |
| Lawyer with five years of experience
|
13,550 shekels
|
10,480 shekels | 29.3% |
| Lawyer with ten years of experience | 19,470 shekels. | 15,010 shekels | 29.7% |
The table shows that a veteran, skilled lawyer in the periphery earns about thirty percent less than a veteran, skilled lawyer in the center of the country.
How the fee is billed is up to the lawyer. Some charge a global amount for handling the case; others set the fee by the hours of work the case requires.
And although the fee will almost always weigh heavily in choosing a lawyer, it should not be the deciding factor. Remember that cheap often turns out expensive. The market is flooded with new lawyers, not all of them skilled and professional, and the flood has produced fierce competition. If you receive a quote well below the market’s usual fees, treat it as a red flag: more often than not, the professional and legal service you get will match the price.
To sum up, the price is set by several factors: seniority and reputation, the scope of work the case requires, and the geographic area in which the lawyer practices.
* Updated for 2026
