Marriage is one of the most important and beneficial stages in a person's life cycle. If one gets their right match, marriage provides a life partner to shoulder the responsibilities of adult life. However, most marriages do not survive the problems that accompany this union, and this is where divorce comes in.
If one is faced with an inevitable divorce, as is the case with many marriages today, they need to consider several things before settling for the right divorce attorney. This is better done before the actual filing of the divorce case. The following six tips would help in choosing a divorce lawyer.
1. Create a List of Local Divorce Attorneys
When creating this list, there are some important aspects to note. Include each attorney's name, phone number, address and website. It is easy to find divorce lawyers by:
• Searching in the local yellow pages under "attorney".
• Searching an online phone directory and
• Running an online search from a search engine using relevant keywords.
• Narrow your list by doing an investigative study of the listed lawyers.
2. Review Each Attorney's Website
Reviewing an attorney's website helps one narrow potential lawyers even further. During this review, it is important to look for grammar and spelling errors as well as the attorney's background information. If there are lots of grammar and spelling errors, that attorney may not have great attention to detail and it makes sense to find an attorney that takes pride in all areas.
Most lawyers' websites provide information about all attorneys working for the law firm. One must look at the attorney's educational background and their work history. It is advisable to get a lawyer with at least three years' experience in family law and who spends at least 50 percent of his or her time on divorce work.
3. Look for Red Flags
Some attorneys will tell their potential clients what they want to hear just to close the deal; The divorce process has no guarantees, so do not believe an attorney who is making promises.
If one attorney talks about their high-profile clients or even divulges other clients' confidential information, it is very likely they will do the same again. If they do not respect other attorneys that you are interviewing, they will not be respectful of their new clients either.
While interviewing a lawyer, one should be sure to note that the attorney pays sufficient attention and is not distracted by emails and phone calls. If the lawyer is distracted, he or she may not pay attention to your court case. The chosen lawyer must act according to the industry's professional ethics.
4. Be Realistic
One needs to realize that divorce is a legal process that leads to the dissolution of marriage, assets and resolving any issues of custody. The work of a divorce lawyer is to provide representation to the best of their ability. Remember, it is not their responsibility to do any of the following:
• Listen to anyone's frustration,
• Condone anger outbursts or
• Sympathize with people in their sadness and pain.
Attorneys are not trained therapists; neither do they want to be. Let them do their job. What may seem very important to you might not be as important to them as far as the legal process is concerned. One, therefore, needs to be realistic about the responsibilities of their divorce lawyer as well as what to expect from them.
5. Be Objective
One's ultimate goal in this tedious process is to get divorced without major depreciation of their lifestyle. It is unwise to let one's emotions consume them during negotiations over material things. These material things are irrelevant in the big picture. Emotions could prolong the divorce process; make it more expensive and litigious. Therefore, it is important to remain focused on getting divorced faster, and with little financial damage.
6. Ask Questions Specific to Your Situation
One needs to ask the divorce attorney several pointed questions on how he or she would proceed with their case. Here are some of the questions that one must ask:
"What will your strategy be for my case?"
"How long do you think my case will take?"
"How much property am I likely to get at the end of this divorce?"
The ultimate decision to hire a good divorce attorney is one's personal responsibility. There is a large crowd of divorce lawyers, all in the business of representing clients. Wading through this crowd for the right attorney is so hard that it could discourage many people, and one may end up settling for a low-class divorce lawyer. Divorce itself is a painful process that requires the expertise and experience of good attorney and looking in the right place for a good lawyer makes the process more bearable.
Contributed by http://www.legalactionworkshoplaw.com/
