In the year 2001 my wife and I purchased a house with a verbal commitment to one another that she pays $700 for mortgage and pays for groceries as warented. It all went well for three years until she had my second child and came into a settlement in 2005. She decided that she will no longer work and for the next six until present has not worked leaving me to carry all of the mortgage together with all expenses. At the time my salary was approximately $55,000 a year with a mortgage of $2300 a month plus all other expenses. I have depleated all my monitory accounts because of my wife not working. I have asked her time and time again to get back to work because the burden fell on me but to no avail. Presently we are in the middle of a divorce and although we all live in the same house, I was ordered to pay child care and maintenance of $550 per month which i cannot afford althouth my salary is now $73,000 a year. Do I have grounds to get more than 50% of the divorce properity nowing that my wife did not contribute to the housewhole but for more that two years? Should I pay the temporary child care and maintenance which has to be paid beginning today? My lawyer is agreeing with everything that the other lawyer wants and is very condensending to me and tells me to shot up after paying $5000 initial fee. I want to ask the owner of the law firm for some on else to represent me. Am i doing the right thing? I need your advise now.

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State/Country relating to Question: New York