Hiring an attorney to represent you in your family law matter is often an intimidating process. Making the initial call to a lawyer to discuss your divorce can create a high emotional barrier. To help, I’ve identified five tips to ensure you get the most out of your family law services.
- Ask questions. Silence is not recommended. You are entrusting the attorney to help you get through an incredibly emotional period of your life. Some questions you may want to ask:
- “How many family law cases have you handled similar to mine?”
- “How do you approach your cases?”
- “Who will I interact with at your firm?”
- “How will you help me get through this difficult time?”
2. Be prepared. Before your initial consult, call the attorney’s office to find what they need from you to help make your time more productive. The more information you can provide at the initial consultation, the more productive that time will be.
3. Meet with your attorney before proceeding. Your initial consultation is the most important time you will have with your attorney. The first meeting sets the tone and provides you and the attorney an opportunity to get to know each other. Most importantly, it is the best opportunity for the lawyer to understand your goals and objectives for your case.
4. Relationships matter. Make sure the person you hire is someone you feel comfortable with because you are going to be working together for months on end.
5. You get what you pay for. You often get what you pay for in family law matters. Good attorneys find themselves in higher demand and, like any finite resource in high demand, typically demand higher prices. The price of the service is often a reflection of the demand on the attorney’s time. Just any other professional, lawyers in demand have typically proven themselves in the marketplace.