One of the most important steps in a child custody case is your interview with the Lake City child custody attorney.
Once you have gathered the names of several family lawyers, you will have to shortlist them and then hire one. Every lawyer has a different psychological make-up and approach, and so it becomes important for you to meet up with the short-listed lawyers and interview them before settling for one, and here is how you should go about the interview process:
1. Normally, a Lake City child custody attorney will agree for an interview, unless they represent a large and reputed firm. They may charge you a small fee – $25 to $50 – which is a small price to pay to know if the lawyer is right for you. Some child custody lawyers may not charge anything for the interview.
2. You must make it a point to diligently interview about 3-4 lawyers, because your and your family’s future depends on the outcome of the case.
3. The first thing you must ask the lawyer is about his background, knowledge, experience and proficiency. Ask him about his success stories, how long he has been practicing, what’s been his toughest case till date and how he tackled it, and which association he is affiliated to. When you check on the experience, make sure to find out how much experience he has in solving cases similar to yours.
4. Find out the lawyer’s style of working, things such as: Is he overly aggressive? Does he have so many cases that he can’t handle them? Will he give equal time to your case like he does to the others? Will he assign your case to juniors? Who will answer your phone calls? And whether you will get duplicate copies of all the relevant correspondence.
5. If you are okay with the Lake City child custody attorney’s replies, you then have to ask him specific questions related to the case – ask him what he thinks of your case, how long will it take to reach a satisfactory conclusion, what are your chances of winning the child custody case (this will be an opinion – no lawyer can ever guarantee a win), what kind of judgments have been there on trials that are similar to yours, how will evaluations be handled (when child custody is disputed), and whether mediation will be required. Feel free to ask him any question that’s bugging you.
6. Ask the Lake City lawyer what he expects you to do, what decisions does he expect you to make, and what will be the consequence if at all you have a problem with him during the case.
7. Enquire about his or her fees – ask if he charges by the hour and, if yes, then what is his rate; then ask him or her about the other expenses too, which include paralegal work, filing fees, calls, letters, etc. Ask him how much he has charged in similar cases in the past and what his retainer will be. If he takes a retainer, then ask him what happens to it if it is not used. Round off the questions on the fees by asking him if you can pay in installments.
Many people quickly freeze on a family lawyer if they are satisfied with the interview. That is a mistake, because you must never hire the first lawyer you meet. Along with that, here are some other mistakes you shouldn’t make when it comes to hiring a good family lawyer:
i) Hire a family lawyer simply because he comes cheap.
ii) Hire a family lawyer who practices family law part-time.
iii) Hire a family lawyer only at the last minute, when they need help in a settlement.
iv) Hire a family lawyer who is known to, or is representing, their ex.
These interviews with your Lake City child custody attorney are very important and you must make sure they are the right match for you.
By: Brent Delaurentis
Variety may not be the spice of the legal profession – but, yes, there are a few different types of a Michigan child custody lawyer. Here is how the family lawyer fraternity can be categorized into different types:
A. Based on the firm’s size
Sole proprietorship: About 50% of family lawyers run a sole proprietorship – in other words, they work for themselves. They have to do the entire running around, and if they take on more work than they can chew, then they come under pressure. However, in pressure situations, these solo lawyers (many of whom are considered very good family attorneys) then hire other lawyers to get the pressure off.
Small-sized firms: A small lawyers’ firm, also fashionably called a boutique, is typically made up of 2-10 lawyers. The quality of these firms depends on the caliber and experience of the lawyers running the show.
Medium-sized firms: Firms staffed with 20-50 lawyers make up a medium-sized firm. A few lawyers own the firm while the others form part of the staff. Most of the legwork and the initial preparation of cases are handled by the younger staff, while the seniors step in for the hearings or at critical moments.
Large firms: Any Michigan child custody lawyer firm that has over 50 lawyers is considered a large firm and any firm with over a 100 lawyers is termed as a mega firm. These large and mega firms feature many departments that specialize in different legal aspects. One big plus of these large firms is that they provide all the services under one roof as they are staffed with lawyers specializing in every branch of the law.
Law clinics: These clinics are specialty law firms that handle small-time, simple legal work. If your work is simple and requires minimum lawyer intervention then you must approach a law clinic. Law clinics keep their costs down by appointing paralegal assistants and using pre-printed standard forms. The minus with law clinics is that they cannot offer expert, in-depth advice.
B. Based on specialization
The law is vast and possesses enormous depth. No one lawyer can specialize in all of the myriad legal topics. In theory it is said that general Michigan child custody lawyer law firms can handle all cases – but practically speaking, a lawyer has to focus on a specific area. Some legal specialty areas are:
o Family matters, including divorce, and child custody and support.
o Wills and probates.
o Real estate, which includes acquiring or selling of real estate and construction
o Crime.
o Workers and trade union laws.
o Company law – mergers, dissolution, formation and taxation.
o Intellectual property law – patents, trademarks and copyright laws.
Certified specialists
There are some states in America where lawyers train in certain areas. These lawyers study further after their bar exams and pass additional exams – such lawyers call themselves certified specialists. When it comes to family law, certified specialists must continue their studies perpetually so that they are aware of the latest on child support, divorce, child custody, splitting of property, alimony and other family matters. The standards for their certification are high as they are set by the state bar council.
So make sure you know which Michigan child custody lawyer can help you win your case. Since there are many types you want to research and learn as much as you can about how to win so you can make all the best decisions regarding child custody law and your attorney.
By: Brent Delaurentis
Attorneys and lawyers practicing family law take up cases relating to all kinds of family related issues. These can be adoption, prenuptial agreements, marriage, domestic violence, divorce, separation, legal separation, annulment, division of the property accumulated during the marriage, alimony, negotiation, adjudication, child custody and support, child abduction, kidnapping or child seizure, emancipation, abuse in the marriage, parental rights, paternity, juvenile, felonies etc., and many such cases related to family. Other than this they also deal with regular cases relating to criminal laws, property related laws, probation law, trusts etc. However, majority of the cases that come to family lawyers are the divorce, separation, abuse or child custody cases. A number of details need to be considered when it comes to these cases and family lawyers are specialized in all the legalities involved in such cases.
Lawyers and attorneys practicing family law are the best with more experience than qualifications. It is amazing how much documentation and negotiation is expected when taking care of a family related case. Along with this the lawyers must be able to support the party professionally, emotionally and morally all the while helping in separating the client from the spouse and in some instances from the children. Also, the lawyers dealing with the family law cases must be aware of the laws in that particular state as family law differs in each state.
Family law attorneys charge the fee depending on the type of case. In case of divorce, the price can range depending on whether the parties have still some issues pending between them such as property division, child custody, support etc., Most attorney charge either an hourly fee or a flat rate after the case is filed and the court accepts the divorce. However, the best kind of attorneys charge by the hour as there would be less scope of getting fleeced later on after getting a big settlement or alimony from the spouse. These hourly rates can vary depending on the area or state where the case is to be held. Of course, a lawyer in New York, Beverly Hills or Los Angeles would be expected to charge a lot more than a lawyer from a small place in Iowa! Also, it is a usual practice for the attorneys to charge a retainer, as is the case with regular lawyers practicing in other fields of law. If unable to bear the retainer charges, the court can make the spouse bear the retainer charges when the court is requested for counsel fee pedente lite! Pedente lite is a court order for taking financial care of a low income spouse while court proceedings are ongoing.
Family problems can be very upsetting and distressing and the best way to handle them is with the help of a lawyer experienced in practicing family law. An exhaustive list of lawyers that are qualified, experienced can be found either from the yellow pages or on the Internet with some effort. A word of advice, it is the best option to always go for a new lawyer chosen on basis of qualifications and experience instead of the ones recommended by friends or acquaintances or relatives to avoid any problems or explanations later on!
By: Steve Valentino
