Divorce is a sad and often-stressful experience, but having the right lawyer to guide you through the process can make it much more tolerable and ensure that your rights are protected every step of the way. Of course, the big question is: how do I choose a lawyer who’s right for me?
A good place to start is by asking friends or relatives of yours who have been divorced what they think of the lawyer who represented them. Because everyone’s case is different, don’t focus on what their lawyer may have achieved for them in terms of alimony, child support, or child custody, but rather on how responsive the lawyer was. Did he or she return phone calls promptly, or explain things in plain English, or display a genuine sense of compassion and concern?
Trust your instincts
Your relationship with your divorce lawyer will be as intimate as your relationship with your primary care doctor---maybe more so. You’re going to lay bare your emotions, your vulnerabilities, your fears and your finances to this person. If you don’t fundamentally like him or trust him, if something about him makes you hold back, your divorce is almost certain to be a disaster.
So, be sure to have an in-depth initial meeting with any prospective lawyer before you retain him, and pay close attention to any red flags that may come up in that meeting: he insists on doing all the talking, he pooh-poohs your emotional issues, etc. As with most relationships, if it’s not good at the beginning, it’s only going to get worse later.
What about other important stuff like credentials and fees? Read the rest of this story on our partner site, HeadDrama.com.
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