Hiring a Divorce Lawyer: Things To Ask

Nothing can help you through the dissolution of your marriage more than a qualified and experienced divorce lawyer. Unless this is your second or third time down this road, you probably don’t know what to expect. He will. He has seen it all before. He has seen things you probably wouldn’t believe. Nine times out of ten, nothing about your situation will surprise him. His expertise is invaluable. But where is he? Finding a good attorney consists of more than opening the phone book. As you conduct your search, here are some questions you should ask.

Ask your prospective divorce lawyer about their credentials. What makes them qualified to handle your case? This is about more than their education, though you can put due weight on that as well. Yes, find out where they went to law school and yes, make sure they have passed the Bar. But what you really want to know is how much experience they have. That doesn’t mean how long they have been in practice, but how many cases of your type have they handled. How many divorces have they been through, legally speaking?

Ask your divorce lawyer about their fee structure. Don’t wait until the bill comes to worry about how you’re going to pay for all of this. Let’s face it: not everyone has the financial wherewithal to hire the best of the best. You may have to settle, and that’s just fine. But make sure you know what you’re getting into. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can pay a high priced attorney if you really can’t. The process of divorce is difficult enough without adding extra strain on top of it.

Finally, ask them to explain the steps you will be going through as the divorce goes through the court system. This is not only a good opportunity for you to become familiar with the process, it will give you a chance to evaluate how helpful the divorce attorney is at explaining difficult legal concepts to his client. This will be an important aspect of your relationship. You are the new guy (or girl) here. You need not only representation but a tour guide and a teacher. Make sure your prospective hire can fulfill all of these roles well. If you are satisfied with his answers and think that you have someone that will be a faithful ally in the coming turmoil, you’ll know all you need to about making your final decision.