There are considerations to be made in the early stages when you choose a divorce lawyer. The more information you get right from the beginning, the more successful the results will be. Let's start with a review of the basics:
Recommendations
Talk to friends or family who have experience with a divorce lawyer. If you have a family member or close friend who is a lawyer, they normally will not make a good lawyer for your case. Personal opinion can cloud pragmatic judgment. If you've been seeing a counselor, they may have resources to recommend a divorce attorney for you. In order to get a feeling for the personal style of a lawyer, you can begin even before your first consultation by watching them in the courtroom. Check the court docket and choose a divorce hearing to sit in on. It may seem a little odd to sit in on such a personal hearing, but you will get a quick look at the personality of a lawyer and that will be worth your time and trouble.
Even when choosing a collaborative divorce attorney, it is important to get an idea of how the attorney handles himself/herself. Does he or she seem organized? Does he or she communicate well? How well does he or she work with the opposing counsel? With the judge?
Experience
You will want a divorce lawyer who knows how to handle divorce proceedings. Look at their track record. Have they won proper settlements for their clients? Are they well versed in the divorce laws of your state? A divorce lawyer that specializes in family law or marital law must pass strict requirements in many states. This may make you more comfortable with your choice. Any good divorce lawyer will be happy to show you their past achievements. Ask hard questions about the outcome of divorce cases they've handled. If a collaborative divorce lawyer seems hesitant to talk to you about their cases, it's time to interview another divorce lawyer.
If you're considering a collaborative divorce, ask about other collaborative divorce cases the divorce attorney has handled -- in particular, did any of them "fall apart"?
Cost
Good divorce lawyers come in all price ranges. Most good divorce lawyers offer a free first interview or free divorce consultation. Be sure to get a fee agreement in writing so there are no surprises. A down-payment, or retainer, is required by most divorce lawyers. Many divorce lawyers will work out a payment plan for the balance of their services. Collaborative divorce lawyers normally charge an hourly rate, broken down into minimum charges. This means that if you stop in to chat with your divorce lawyer for five minutes, you'll be charged for fifteen or thirty minutes. Be sure to check all the billing fine print. Divorce lawyers -- even collaborative divorce attorneys -- make their living on billable hours, so the less often you're in their office, the better for your budget. A good divorce lawyer will tell you to do as much of the fact gathering and leg work outside the office to save you money. Be sure to explore cut-rate or do-it-yourself divorces with great caution. That is not to say that a good divorce lawyer can't also be an inexpensive divorce lawyer, but you have to be aware of the quality of service before you get in too deep.
Availability
Of course you don't want to be stopping in to see your collaborative divorce lawyer every time you get a whim, but you do want your divorce lawyer available to you when needed. Ask how often your divorce lawyer is in the office for appointments. If a divorce lawyer is always in court, it's going to get frustrating for you. The firm may maintain several assistants, legal secretaries, and paralegals to do the legwork for the divorce lawyers, which will be very helpful to you at times. Ask about emailing and faxing documents or a courier service if necessary for transporting documents for signature. And, even in this age of technology, there will be times when your actual signature is needed on an original document. Is the lawyer's office convenient to you? As odd as it seems, you may also want to choose a divorce lawyer who has an office close to the courthouse. Each document filing and each appearance in a divorce proceeding adds up in billable hours for the divorce lawyer. Traveling an hour from the office to the courthouse will be tacked onto your bill.
Before you worry about the specific details of your divorce, you have to explore basic legal support. Choosing a divorce lawyer can be a very confusing process at first. But, as you gather information the decision should become easier. You'll recognize a good divorce lawyer when you spend time getting to know him or her. Take your time and choose wisely.
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