Questions To Ask A Divorce Attorney

Going through a divorce can be a very overwhelming experience but regardless of how devastated you might be, you have to make sure you get the best legal service possible. A first step towards this would be getting the information you need to decide on which lawyer to hire. This would be followed by obtaining answers to certain concerns that would be relevant to how things will go for you.

There are questions to ask a divorce attorney that you must not hesitate to verbalize when you first meet with a lawyer. Remember to take notes during your meeting so you will have something to refer to should anything need clarification.

1. Ask your prospect how long he or she has been practicing law. Remember, no matter how brilliant a lawyer is, experience matters. You want someone with enough experience to see you through your case successfully. You will want to know how often he or she has tried cases in court. Many divorce proceedings end at a settlement table but in the event that you do go to court, will this lawyer be comfortable?

2. Find out what percentage of his or her practice is dedicated to divorce. Ask what type of divorce cases has he or she handled and what issues were in those cases. Also, ask what part of his continuing education was devoted to divorce.

3. Be forthright about his or her professional fees. Ask what the retainer will be and how you will be billed. Be clear about what the retainer will include – if it covers phone calls, emails, copies of documents. Find out also if you can pay by credit card.

4. If you have custody issues, ask your prospective lawyer how comfortable he or she is with this. Ask how much experience he or she has had in divorce cases with custody concerns. Not all lawyers are comfortable with this and it is often taken for granted that they will be competent in this area. This is one of the probing questions to ask a divorce attorney.

5. It is vital that you know how familiar your prospective lawyer is with the judges and the people who will have a say in deciding the outcome of your case. Find out if he or she knows the judges and the people working for the judges who might preside over your case.

6. Very often, a divorce does not get to the stage when it is heard in court because the parties involved decide it is better to finish the process at the negotiating table. What you need to know then is how good your lawyer will be in negotiating for you. This means he needs to be able to stay calm, focused, and non-combative but still get good results.

7. Ask about the team who will be working on your case. Most lawyers have paralegals who work as researchers and assistants. It is good to get to know the support team that will work on your case. This way it will be easier for you to get updates and be clear about schedules.

8. Ask your lawyer for an estimate of how long it will take for your divorce to be finalized. Many factors can affect the length of time to see everything settled: the complexity of the case, how the willingness of parties to cooperate, the judge assigned to the case, concerns about children and economic issues (if there are any to be resolved).

While there are questions to ask a divorce attorney in order to get information, you need to find out other things for yourself. Be sure that the person you want to hire is well respected and if his clients were satisfied with his services. Take the necessary time and effort to know what kind of reputation he has in legal circles. This may require extra effort but it is worth it because he will be a very important part of your life during this critical time.