You can ask the court to order your spouse to contribute money for a lawyer in a California divorce. A financial-need request concerns access to legal representation: the court considers income, needs, access to money and ability to pay. You can ask before hiring a lawyer, but requesting an amount does not establish that it will be awarded. California Courts: ask for money to hire a lawyer.
Start by identifying the legal work you need, the financial information behind your request and the records still missing. The worksheet below helps you prepare those questions before completing a packet.
Check which task you have
This guide covers preparation for an ordinary written FL-300 financial-need request in an existing California divorce case. It does not cover sanctions, emergency requests or Domestic Violence Prevention Act fee procedures. Joint-petition proceedings have additional preliminary requirements; use current official instructions and court help for that route. Rule 5.427(a); rule 5.92(b).
If you received papers asking you to pay attorney fees, use the FL-300 next-step guide and financial-need fee-response section. Requesting payment and responding to someone else's request are different tasks.
If your problem is court filing fees, a court fee waiver is a separate process; it does not pay a private lawyer. The affordability guide compares other help routes too. California Courts: fee waivers.
Describe the legal work and requested amount
Write down what you need a lawyer to do and how the requested amount was estimated. Keep fees already incurred separate from anticipated work, and identify any earlier fee order and payments. FL-319 asks about those distinctions. Current FL-319, pages 1–2.
For the ordinary financial-need request, the court needs information about the lawyer's rate and experience, the nature of the work, incurred or anticipated fees and why the amount is necessary and reasonable. Mark missing information as a question rather than supplying a guessed figure. Rule 5.427(b)(2).
Connect the papers to their purpose
Use this table to inspect the official instructions and organize your records. It is not an exhaustive packet checklist.
| Paper or information | Purpose | Preparation question |
|---|---|---|
| FL-300: Request for Order | States the orders requested and supporting facts; the court supplies hearing information. | What payment am I requesting, and what facts support it? |
| FL-319: Request for Attorney's Fees and Costs Attachment, or a comparable declaration covering its factors | Identifies the fee request, amount, relevant financial circumstances and prior fee orders. | What is estimated, already incurred, paid or still owed? |
| FL-150: Income and Expense Declaration | Provides current income, expenses, assets and attorney-fee information with applicable income records. | Is it complete and current, and do the attached records match the stated periods? |
| FL-158: Supporting Declaration for Attorney's Fees and Costs Attachment, or a comparable declaration covering its factors | Supplies facts supporting the fee request, possible payment sources and relevant support orders. | Which records support each important statement, and what remains uncertain? |
| FL-157: Spousal or Domestic Partner Support Declaration Attachment, or a comparable declaration | Provides the Family Code section 4320 factor information identified in FL-158 item 6 when the requester is or was married to, or in a domestic partnership with, the person from whom fees are sought. | Have I supplied that information even if I am not requesting support? |
| Other relevant papers and applicable instructions | Additional material depends on the requested relief, case and court requirements. | What else applies to this particular request? |
Rule 5.427(b) describes the ordinary request documents, permits the specified comparable declarations and expressly reserves the exception in Family Code section 2031(b). This guide does not interpret that exception. The official fee-request instructions also identify FL-157 information even when support is not requested; FL-158, page 2 item 6 explains its application. Confirm the applicable route and attachments with court self-help or a lawyer.
Check whether the financial information is current
For this financial-need process, FL-150 is current if completed within the past three months and no facts have changed. FL-155, the simplified financial statement, is not a substitute in an attorney-fee proceeding. Complete the account-balance and attorney-fee/payment-source information the rule identifies. Rule 5.427(d).
Follow the income-document instructions
Follow FL-150's income-specific instructions. They include the last two months' paystubs and proof of other income; self-employment has a separate profit-and-loss or Schedule C instruction. Bring the latest federal tax return to the hearing. The instruction not to routinely attach the whole tax return does not erase the form's specific self-employment attachment requirement. Redact private identifiers from filing and service copies while preserving originals. Current FL-150, pages 1–2; official fee-request instructions.
Build a record-to-question worksheet
Copy the blank row for each point. Keep reported figures, documents and unresolved questions separate. This is an organizer, not a declaration to sign or file.
| Information | Record, date and page | What it shows | Amount or period | Unresolved question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Point to explain] | [Source or Not located] | [Specific information, without a legal conclusion] | [Amount/period or Not confirmed] | [What must be checked?] |
Use rows for:
- Your income and expenses, with source periods.
- Available money and the source for any account of the other party's access to funds.
- Proposed legal work, estimated fees and the basis of the estimate.
- Earlier fee orders, amounts paid and amounts still owed.
- Facts and records needed for the supporting declaration and applicable FL-157 information.
The document-inventory guide can help identify missing records. A list of documents does not establish that their contents are accurate, complete or enough to support the request.
Example: an incomplete preparation record
Fictional example — no real case, personal facts, recommended amount or predicted award: The following entries show gaps to resolve, using placeholders rather than invented financial figures.
| Working entry | What remains unconfirmed | Useful question |
|---|---|---|
| [Estimate of future legal work] | Whether it covers advice, drafting, an appearance or later work | What services and assumptions are included? |
| [Earlier income record] | Whether it still describes current circumstances | What updated record is needed? |
| [Reference to an earlier fee order] | The order's terms and payment history | Where are the complete order and payment records? |
This worksheet identifies work still needed; it does not justify an amount or determine whether the court should award fees. Keep original records intact and mark any unsupported statement.
Keep preparation, filing and the decision separate
| Stage | What to keep track of |
|---|---|
| Prepare | The completed request, declarations and relevant records, with missing work visible. |
| File | The court-endorsed papers and hearing information; a saved draft is not a filed request. |
| Serve | Required copies, the applicable service method and timing, and the completed proof of service. |
| Hearing | The requested decision, your supporting material and the court's actual directions. |
| Order | The signed written order, including the amount, payment terms and any further requirements actually ordered. |
Follow the official Request for Order process and its service instructions for the actual case and any court order. This page does not calculate deadlines. For hearing preparation and the written order, use the hearing guide. A requested amount is not a fee award. California Courts: what happens at the hearing.
Take focused questions to the right help
Ask court self-help about forms, procedure and local requirements; it cannot choose a legal strategy or represent you. Ask a lawyer for advice on the request and its implications. A limited-scope engagement may cover a defined task if it fits the case and the lawyer's offering. Court self-help; limited-scope representation.
Questions to take with you
Bring your worksheet and ask:
- Does the ordinary financial-need request fit this situation, or is a different route involved?
- Which declarations and other information apply, including FL-157 or comparable information?
- What missing record or explanation matters before I prepare the packet?
- If a lawyer helps, what work, estimate and responsibilities would the engagement cover?
For a Los Angeles case, start with the local self-help guide. The consultation preparation guide helps organize the conversation.
Use the evidence-organization sheet for records behind a financial statement or disputed fact. It complements the financial-record questions above and does not replace required forms or declarations.
Official sources
- California Courts: Ask for money to hire a lawyer
- California Rules of Court: Rule 5.427
- California Rules of Court: Rule 5.92
- California Courts: FL-300 Request for Order
- California Courts: FL-300 Information Sheet
- California Courts: FL-319 Request for Attorney's Fees and Costs Attachment
- California Courts: FL-150 Income and Expense Declaration
- California Courts: FL-158 Supporting Declaration for Attorney's Fees and Costs Attachment
- California Courts: FL-157 Spousal or Domestic Partner Support Declaration Attachment
- California Courts: Request for Order process
- California Courts: What to expect at a Request for Order hearing
- California Courts: Court-based self-help services
- California Courts: Limited-scope representation
- California Courts: Fee waivers
By CourtAhead · Sources checked October 14, 2026 with AI-assisted research and drafting. No attorney review. CourtAhead provides legal information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm. This guide cannot decide your eligibility, requested amount or the right legal action in your case. Editorial standards.