Your attorney will play a key role in your divorce. You need to feel comfortable working with him or her. The following questions can help identify the correct attorney to partner with you during this trying time.
Use these questions during your initial consultation with attorneys. Do not be intimidated or embarrassed to ask tough questions; they are used to it. You need to understand your legal rights and choose the lawyer best suited to your needs.
Attorney Experience and Practice
How long have you been practicing law in this state? How long have you been practicing family law? Are you a Certified Family Law Specialist? If so, by whom are you certified? What percentage of your practice is devoted to family law? How many family law clients or cases do you currently have? Do you handle all aspects of divorce including child custody issues and disputes? What percentage of your divorce cases go to trial? Are you familiar with the family court judges in our city? If so, please explain. Are you willing to go to court or trial if necessary? Are you willing to settle cases or do you always go to trial? What percentage of divorce cases do you settle? What percentage of your cases settle before trial? During trial?
Legal Fees and Payments
What is your hourly rate? Do have separate rates for face-to-face, phone, and email? Are there different rates for associates, assistance, and paralegals? What is your retainer fee? Do you accept credit cards for monthly payments? How much do you estimate my divorce will/could cost? Will my spouse be required to pay any of my legal fees Can I withdraw money from a joint account to pay my divorce retainer? What happens if my retainer fee runs out before my divorce is finished? What happens if I can not afford to pay you completely during the divorce process?
One of the best ways to help you in your attorney selection process is to make yourself a list. I like to use a spreadsheet. Track names, numbers, email addresses, and any other information which can help you in your decision making process. I also suggest creating a ranking scale for each item you are comparing.
Of course after all your hard work in identifying the correct attorney, you then have to deal with a good working relationship as well. If you are not happy with your attorney or their staff, speak up. They are charging you a ton of money so make sure they are working for it. Do not just sit back and think they will do everything for you. Educate yourself and ask questions. You are the client. They are working for you. Remember that because there will come a time when you may need to remind them of the same.
By: Mark Pfenning
Unfortunately, divorce is one of the harshest circumstances facing families today. In the past few decades, the divorce rate has skyrocketed. Much of this increase in divorce has been attributed to the strengthening of women’s roles in the modern world. Other factors have contributed to the rising rate of divorce among both first and second marriages, not all of them revolving around the female.
Divorce is very often the result of poor decisions made in one’s formative years, and for some, the divorce is the only suitable outcome for the marriage. If you are facing an impending divorce, know that a plethora of information on divorce and legal help exist out there to help you through what may be the most difficult time of your life.
Since men and women have been joining together to create families and procreate, the idea of divorce dates back as far. It is only in the recent past, though, that divorce rates have begun to climb. It used to be quite taboo to think about proceeding with a divorce. In many cultures and religions it was, and still is, strictly forbidden. The times have definitely changed, and in some communities, divorce is more the norm, with unbroken homes being outnumbered.
While divorce is not an easy process for either party in a failing marriage to pursue, if you have decided to follow this path and are seeking to divorce your spouse, the best thing to do is secure an appropriate divorce attorney. Hire a divorce attorney from the start to ensure that you have an objective and wise professional to represent you and see that you are treated fairly. Good legal advice can get you a long way. Your divorce attorney may be a mediator between you and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse if it comes down to divorce mediation, and can communicate with him or her during those times that it does not feel possible for you to do so.
Your divorce attorney [http://lasertargeted.com/divorceattorney/needed-divorce-lawyer-advice.html] will guide you through the legal system. This attorney will provide you with all the information you will need to get through the beginning of the divorce proceedings until the end, with things hopefully concluding in your best interests, and your children if applicable.
Of great assistance to you emotionally will also be the legal help you get from your divorce attorney throughout the divorce process. It may be that those who befriended you as a couple may choose to abandon you for the other party, when you go through a divorce. You may find that your divorce attorney may be not only a fountain of knowledge for you, but a support beam to lean on.
In addition to your divorce attorney, many communities offer support groups and counseling services for those under the strain of divorce. There is a wide variety of help out there for you and your family, and the first step in healing is to seek it out.
By: Kathy Hildebrand
If you are in the process of divorcing your wife, then you are going to need a good divorce lawyer. So, how do you find the best divorce attorney for you? You can start by considering the following..
How do I get started? There are several options available. You can search online or flip through the yellow pages. But, a much better place to start is by asking for referrals from friends and family who’ve been through a divorce. Please keep in mind that this is a starting point. A good divorce experience with a lawyer for one person may be a disaster for another. So, with this start, you’ll need to do some due diligence of your own before deciding upon the right one for you.
