When looking for a divorce attorney, you need someone who is not only experienced and successful but someone with whom you also have rapport. You are trusting the attorney you choose to help you make life-altering decisions.
To make this match, you want to interview attorneys. Some recommend interviewing about three different attorneys. There are important questions to ask before deciding which attorney is the right divorce attorney for you.
Questions to Ask When Hiring a Divorce Attorney
Friends or relatives, or even business acquaintances may recommend an attorney to you who they swear is the easiest to work with and best in the business. This does not mean that attorney is the right one for you. Some questions you should ask include:
- What is your litigation style? Assertive and aggressive or Cooperative and open to negotiation?
- Are you limited to traditional litigation, or do you also work with mediation and collaborative divorce?
- How do you help resolve disputes concerning child custody?
- What is your experience in handling divorces with complicated asset division issues, or high asset divorces?
- Do you work with other professionals, like child psychologists or financial experts?
- What is the best way to communicate with you? Phone calls? Emails?
- Who is the contact person for me to use with your office when I feel I need immediate attention?
Ultimately, you want to choose someone who:
- Primarily practices family law.
- Can work with traditional litigation, mediation, and collaborative divorce and who will guide you with choosing the right process for your unique individual needs.
- Shares your philosophy on whether you want to fight for everything, or one who wants to guide you to an amicable resolution.
You will have a close working relationship with this attorney throughout the divorce process. This may take months or even years, so you want to be sure it is a good match. Although you can change attorneys down the road if you have disagreements, changing can add to the expense of your divorce.
A new attorney will need to spend time reading the records, perhaps re-interviewing witnesses, and taking other measures to get up to speed. This can delay your process since it is possible new court dates will be established to compensate for the time the new attorney will need to spend establishing knowledge of your case.
Contact us at Springer & Lyle
Contact our family law attorneys at Springer & Lyle to schedule a consultation where you can ask questions and determine if we are the right attorneys for you. You may also reach us at 940.387.0404.
