Divorce Lawyer to Ease the Division

Dissolving a marriage is a difficult time. Even when there is no longer any love lost in separating, it is a headache to divide and parcel out belongings and assets. It is a messy and drawn out process that nobody involved enjoys participating in. Really, the only thing that can be done to ameliorate the unpleasantness of this necessarily crummy experience is to get a good and experienced divorce lawyer. They will know how to navigate the treacherous waters of court and mitigation. Unfortunately, they don't usually advertise whether they are good or not. Fortunately, there are some questions to ask to be sure of getting the best and the brightest without wasting your time.

First and foremost, be sure to ask how long they have been practicing family law. It is crucial you ask about the specific field of litigation because it is possible that they were working in criminal or another type of law previously and have just begun to take on this type of case. If he has been doing this for a while he will know the other people in the field and also the judges. He will be able to broker deals and arrange meetings to hopefully avoid the knockdown, drag-out experience of trial.

After finding someone you feel may be qualified, ask your potential divorce lawyer how much he will cost to retain. A retainer is a sum that is paid up front to assure the divorce lawyer that his work will not go unpaid. At the end of the litigation it is usually applied to the balance. Along with this you will want to find out what the fee will be for his services. Usually there is an hourly fee but there can occasionally be additional expenses depending on different motions or paperwork that may need to be filed.

Also discuss how interested he is in trying to settle the whole thing through mediation. This process allows a former couple to come to an amicable and mutually satisfactory division without having to go in front of a judge and argue a case. It usually results in both parties being happier in the long run and can seriously reduce the cost of the whole process.

After securing a divorce lawyer and discussing the particulars of your case, it is best to get down to what you can expect. Find out if he will be emailing or calling you with updates. Also determine what sort of frequency you can expect these updates to come. If the answer you get is unsatisfactory you may request that he or his assistant get back to you more often.

If a prospective divorce lawyer answers all of these questions satisfactorily, then they may be someone worth pursuing a professional relationship with. Understandably, it will not be fun or anything you hope to do again, but hopefully with a good professional attorney it can be better than expected.