When you decide to work with a divorce attorney, it’s more than just checking the yellow pages. Neither is it simply hiring the one who helped you with your office lease or DUI. There are certain things you need to seriously review.
Apt Skills and Experience
“According to an old adage, “There are horses for courses.This is perfectly appropriate for lawyer as well. If you know from the get go that this will lead to atrial, find someone with substantial courtroom experience. Many lawyers don’t.
It is also good if the lawyer you pick is acquainted with the family law judges who are working within your jurisdiction. This will help them draft a customized legal strategy, depending on who will be handling your case.
Personality
If you are counting on a lawyer for more than documentation, make sure you’re ready to share personal information about your life. In other words, you should feel comfortable with the lawyer who represents you.
Very importantly, you and your attorney should have the same basic views and beliefs regarding divorce. If you’d rather keep things as low-key and non-adversarial as possible, for example, stay away from someone who will likely be aggressive.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking of your lawyer as your therapist or religious advisor. An attorney’s clock never stops, whether you’re calling to whine about your spouse or ask a legal question.
Affordable Cost
With a limited budget, you might have to work with a relatively inexperienced attorney instead of a legal veteran. As you might think, new attorneys tend to be less expensive than those who have practicing law for decades years and have solid reputations. But don’t forget that up-and-coming or novice attorneys may be willing to work a lot harder for you because they are the ones who have so much more to prove.
In most cases, family law attorneys will you on an hourly hourly basis. They will rarely accept a flat fee based on how much time and labor they think your case demands. Indeed, it will be extremely hard to make estimates, considering each case is unique.
Among other factors, a lawyer’s hourly rate depends on which part of the country you’re in, as well as whether you live in a rural or urban area. Prepare to pay the highest if you are on the East or West Coast. A divorce attorney will likely charge you from a hundred to six hundred an hour, excluding expenses, depending on where you are. In the end, don’t hire a lawyer purely on cost issues.