How to Approach Hiring a Lawyer for Your Divorce
Divorce in itself is something that you may have never been prepared to tackle. It can be isolating, confusing, and stressful, especially when you are blindsided by it. Surprisingly, this does happen to some couples. However, when you know your marriage is over, you will want to take the first steps to prepare yourself for the legal aspect of divorcing your spouse. As a family law practice in Orlando, we handle many divorce cases and advocate for our clients so they can start their future with the best-case scenario financially and emotionally. These are a few ways that you should approach hiring a divorce lawyer.
Don’t Panic
One of the first rules of thumb when it comes to finding the right divorce lawyer for your needs is to avoid panic. When you make the first few phone calls to divorce attorneys, it may finally become real to you. Avoid worrying about the emotions, because family attorneys have heard it all. Instead, focus on staying calm and asking the questions you need so that you can gain as much information about these professionals as possible. When you panic, you will lose concentration and focus, and this could lead you to choose the wrong person for the job.
Do Research
There are likely dozens of divorce attorneys in your area, which means that you will need to start doing your research to determine the one who best suits your needs and budget. Putting the time and effort into researching attorneys will help you make an educated choice. Some websites will tell you different information, and others may require you to make an initial consultation before you settle on their firm. The more time that you can dedicate to choosing a divorce attorney, the better outcome you will have.
Do Identify Your Goals
Why are you hiring an attorney? What do you want to get out of your divorce settlement? When you first start to meet with different law firms, you should have some goals in mind. By establishing these goals before you sit down with them, you can ask about their success rates in those particular cases. For example, do you want to get full child custody after your divorce? Do you want to receive spousal support? Consider these goals so that you can ask the right questions when you sit down with a family law practice in Orlando to discuss your case.
Do Ask Questions
Be prepared for your meetings by bringing a list of questions you plan to ask the divorce lawyer. Although you may have done your research online, it can be much more informative when you have an experienced lawyer sitting across the table from you. This enables you to ask any questions freely so that you can have a better idea of the expectations of the divorce process from a legal standpoint. Although you are in the initial, emotional stages of the process, you still want to stay informed so that you can make the best decisions for your future.
Do Ask about Their Credentials
Just like hiring any other service, you want to be sure that your family law practice in Orlando has the experience, portfolio, credentials, and reputation to help you get the result you want. After all, that is why you are hiring them. Talk to them about their educational background, their legal experience, their understanding of your situation, and any other credentials that may make them the best candidate for your case. By asking about their credentials, you can discover more information about their success rates, which can heavily impact your situation during mediation or litigation.
Do Make Sure They Follow Through
Did your attorney tell you that they are always available to answer any of your questions, yet they will not call you back? When it comes to communicating with your attorney, you want them to be transparent about their availability. Although it is unrealistic for professionals to be available 24/7 to field your questions or concerns, they should be courteous enough to return your calls, respond to your emails, and quell your anxiety when they can. Also, they should have a legal team assembled and assigned to your case to take care of these matters as well. When they do not, consider it as a red flag.
Do Ask about the Money
Attorneys are expensive. Everyone knows that, but they pay the price anyways. Even though you know it will cost money to have good representation, you should still ask about the attorneys’ pricing and fees. To determine if you can afford them, you need to ask these questions up front. Having an idea of the cost of your divorce will provide you with an initial estimate so you can budget for these expenses moving forward. If you do not ask, you may be blindsided with expensive attorneys’ fees and court costs that you cannot afford – even when it’s too late.
Don’t Be Emotional
Even though you will want to be sad or angry about your divorce, try your best to keep it out of the decision-making process for choosing your attorney. Try to focus on your individual goals of divorce while you are meeting with lawyers so that you can get the best outcome. By bringing emotions into the legal process, you may not be able to stay as focused on getting the settlement you deserve, relaying all the necessary information, or even asking the right questions. If this occurs, you may make the wrong decision for your divorce process.
By following these tips, you can strategize how to get the best divorce lawyer for your situation. By doing your research and asking the right questions, you will be able to get the best representation so you are in a good position to start the next chapter of your life. Contact our family law practice in Orlando to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced divorce attorneys today.