how to choose an attorney for divorce

What to look for in a good divorce lawyer?

Aug 05, 2020 · Another important distinction to look for when choosing a lawyer is whether or not they are Board Certified in Marital & Family Law, which is the highest accreditation possible for divorce attorneys. Board Certified marital law attorneys have an additional legal education and training specific to legal separation and divorce law, and will be of particular use for your divorce.

How do I find a good divorce lawyer?

Dec 29, 2021 · How to Choose the Right Divorce Attorney The specific details of your case will play a major role in what sort of attorney would be best to represent you. For example, if you are going through a high-asset divorce, you will need an attorney with extensive experience in handling cases that involve substantial or complex assets.

How to find the best divorce lawyer?

Follow these steps to choose the right divorce lawyer for you. These are the most important things you need to look for in a lawyer . #Step 1: Be Reasonable Let us get realistic; he is your lawyer and not your friend. He is not there to hear your anger and frustration that you might have.

How to know if a divorce lawyer is good?

Nov 03, 2018 · Finally, the best lawyer for your divorce should be someone that you feel comfortable with. They should not only have plenty of experience with divorces like yours, but they should also be great at communicating, have a good track record and have positive feedback from previous clients.

How does conflict affect divorce?

The amount of conflict in the divorce process will have a huge impact on how your divorce plays out. Divorce cases that have high conflict couples may end up taking years to be fully decided, and you will likely need to go to court to get a final decision.

Is family law important?

Balancing the amount of legal assistance you need and the cost of those services should be a serious consideration. Family law issues are important, and they will often affect you for the rest of your life. That means that failing to spend a bit more on a lawyer now can end up haunting you for years to come.

Is an attorney a therapist?

Although some lawyers are great at listening to why the divorce happened and addressing some of your emotional problems, please understand that dealing with your pain, anger, sadness, or frustration with your soon-to-be-ex-spouse is not their role. An attorney is not a therapist, family member, or divorce coach.

Do you need a lawyer for divorce?

Choosing the right lawyer for your divorce can feel a bit overwhelming. There are lots of attorneys, but they are definitely not all the same. Some do not practice family law at all, so you certainly do not want someone inexperienced to help with your case. Others may be too aggressive or not aggressive enough for what you need.

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Tips

Even though you hired an attorney, you can fire him or her at any time and for any reason. Consider firing your attorney for doing any of the following:

Warnings

This article offers legal information, but it is not intended as legal advice.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD. Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013. This article has been viewed 127,717 times.

How do I get out of divorce?

Make sure that you know what you want to get out of the divorce before you look into divorce attorneys. Obviously you want to end your marriage, but if there are any deal breakers for you, you need to figure those out first. You don’t want to waste time and money fighting over material things that are not important to you, so make sure you figure out what your goals are before meeting with a potential attorney. If it is important for you to get the divorce finalized quickly and smoothly, make sure you find an attorney who wants the same thing. Once you have your goals figured out, then you can start your search for a divorce lawyer .

Do I need a divorce attorney?

If you and your spouse do not have your finances entangled and do not have children or shared assets, you might not need a divorce attorney. If both you and your spouse are cooperative and want to work together to end your marriage, mediation might be the best option for you. However, if you have children together or your finances and assets are intertwined with your spouse, it is in your best interest to find an experienced divorce attorney who knows how to handle dividing up your shared belongings. Divorce attorneys are much more qualified than mediators when it comes to splitting up assets.

What to do before you rush out to hire a divorce attorney?

Before you rush out to hire a divorce attorney, consider other alternatives to traditional litigation. If you aren't completely entangled with children and finances, you could hire a mediator to help you negotiate the terms of your divorce.

What is the cheapest way to get divorced?

Mediation is the fastest, cheapest way to get divorced, and you might not need to hire an attorney at all! If your negotiation is more complicated, you'll have to hire a divorce lawyer to negotiate a settlement with your spouse's attorney. Or you could consider a collaborative divorce.

What is the purpose of divorce?

First, you need to realize that divorce is a legal process with the sole purpose of dissolving your assets and resolving custody issues. Your divorce attorney's job is to represent you to the best of his or her ability in this process.

Who is Laura Miolla?

Laura Miolla is a Separation and Divorce Coach who helps people find clarity, empowerment and confidence in the difficult divorce process. Use coaching to make better decisions in your divorce, achieve better outcomes, and lower the cost.

What is collaborative divorce?

A collaborative divorce is focused on negotiation with the goal of preserving a co-parenting relationship. Your last resort is a litigated trial. Typically, these are the cases when neither side will compromise. So you need to determine what type of divorce attorney you need based on your unique circumstances.

Do attorneys tell you what you want to hear?

Unfortunately, many attorneys will tell you what you want to hear just to close the deal. While this is your life, it's a business for them. There are no guarantees in this process, so if an attorney is making promises, don't believe it.

Why is the internet important for divorce?

The internet is best used for gathering information and validating referrals. If someone gives you the name of a divorce lawyer whose website looks like it hasn't been updated since Al Gore invented the internet (or worse, who doesn't have a website at all!), that is NOT a good sign.

Is a lawyer rating agency infallible?

Take lawyer ratings with a grain of salt. Lawyer rating agencies are not infallible. A lawyer who chooses not to advertise, or participate in a particular rating site's program, may end up being rated poorly, even though s/he may be an amazing lawyer.