Divorce Attorney and Client Responsibilities

A divorce attorney is a legally educated professional who has studied and graduated from a reputable college of law. He should have passed the Bar exam and have affiliations with organizations and agencies which recognize him as a qualified and certified lawyer. This type specializes in marital disputes or agreements resulting to the separation of the couple legally. The legal professional has responsibilities and obligations to his client which he has to follow. These are part of the ethics and moral codes that bind him to his client while he has taken the case. On the other hand, the client also has some obligations and responsibilities which he has to uphold.

Lawyer's Part

The divorce attorney has a legal and binding obligation to give his client sound and aboveboard advice pertaining to the separation. The advice, though sound and aboveboard, need not be followed through by the client as they are suggestions and counsel only. In spite of this, the legal professional will strongly suggest that the client be guided by what he says. Another responsibility that he has is to represent the individual in court or in settlement meetings with the other party. This means that the lawyer will help to mediate or to explain the demands of his client to the other party. Although a settlement is highly desirable for many cases, some might need to be brought to court and fought there if there is no amicable agreement. The drafting of the documents connected to the case is also something that the divorce attorney needs to do. Although he might have a clerk who will do the actual typing, the wording is to be done by him.

Client's Part

The person who hired the lawyer also needs to act responsibly towards him. The client is obligated to provide accurate and full information for the complete understanding and assessment of the legal professional. He should also be in full cooperation with his counsel when it comes to any aspect of the proceedings. This means that when he or she is informed of court dates and other meetings, the client should do all that he can to be present in them. The payment of the services rendered is also a moral obligation by the client towards his lawyer. This is an agreement between both that the lawyer will provide full and actual billings when necessary in order to keep the client apprised of his financial status. The divorce attorney should also be kept aware of any issues that the client may have encountered which are relevant to the proceedings. Private dealings between the spouses that wish to be divorced should still be reported to the lawyer to make sure that nothing will affect the case.

These are just a few of the responsibilities and obligations that both the client and the divorce attorney owe each other. Other responsibilities and obligations may be discussed and added to the contract which will be drawn upon the acceptance of the case or when the lawyer is hired.