Three tips to help you find the right divorce lawyer
Do you need to find a lawyer to help you navigate your divorce? Here are three tips to help you find the right one.
Everyone involved in a divorce is under a lot of pressure. Many things need to be divided and resolved, all while grappling with the trauma of a divorce. When two sides can’t agree to the terms of the divorce, it can be incredibly painful. As if negotiating with the legal system and writing required paperwork aren’t tough enough, divorces with children or complex financial problems make matters much more difficult.
The first thing to bear in mind in a divorce, is that it is similar to other lawsuits in some ways. This means that you need to make the right presentation in court if you want any decisions to go in your favour. For this reason, it’s best to avoid doing things yourself and find one of the best divorce attorneys who can help you.
Finding the right divorce lawyer to represent you might be the most important decision you make. Your decision can be the difference between a quick and inexpensive divorce, and a costly, emotional, and long financial nightmare.
If you’re in Toronto, there are many law firms that specialize in divorce and family law matters, like Frenkel Tobin LLP, to choose from. However, just like any other profession, keep in mind that there are good and bad lawyers, and you need to choose from many options out there carefully.
How to find the right divorce lawyer
Choosing a divorce lawyer doesn’t mean that you need to hire the first person you meet or see online. It also doesn’t mean hiring a law firm with good reviews about their previous cases. What’s suggested instead is to use all available options to research and inquire, to ensure someone is the right divorce lawyer for you.
It’s important to check the backgrounds and experience of any divorce attorney. Ask family and friends for recommendations, and read reviews and testimonials on a law firm’s or attorney’s website, as well as Google and other third party sites.
Here are three more tips to help you find the right divorce lawyer to handle your case.
1) Expertise matters
Each area of law has its own set of rules and regulations, and hiring an attorney specializing in divorce and family law will ensure that they have a thorough understanding of the topic. An important factor in choosing a divorce lawyer is that it be a law firm that is local to you.
If you are a resident of Virginia Beach then you would want a local Virginia Beach divorce lawyer who will have a lot of knowledge about that jurisdiction’s court system. You should always choose a lawyer that has direct knowledge of the local law system and customs.So you should ask the following questions and make your decision based on their responses:
- Do they specialize in divorces, or are divorces just a part of their practice?
- What’s the number of divorce law cases they’ve handled?
- How long have they been working in the field of family law?
- Are they a certified divorce law specialist?
When deciding on an equal property division, a divorce lawyer’s expertise particularly comes into play. Factors such as who’s to blame for the marriage’s demise, a spouse’s earning power, a spouse’s wellbeing, and which spouse has primary custody of children may all be taken into account. So if you have children, hiring a lawyer who only works with childless couples may not be the best option.
When there are children involved, there are many decisions to be made about where they’ll live, who will make the majority of decisions for them, and what parental arrangements are needed to meet their needs. If a lawyer is unfamiliar with child custody and access issues, they won’t be able to provide the best guidance about how to proceed with the divorce.
That’s why when choosing a divorce law attorney, you need to make sure that the lawyer is well-versed in the complexities of the field, and is a good fit for your situation, and can back up their expertise with real-world practice.
2) Look for reviews and recommendations
As we’ve briefly touched on, seeking out reviews and recommendations should be an essential part of your research when looking for a divorce in CT (or wherever you may be).
Most law firms and individual lawyers today have an online presence, so it’s often not hard to find reviews and recommendations. However, beware only reading testimonials from their own website, as these will obviously have been filtered to show the best. They may even, in some cases, have been made up.
Instead, try to find reviews from a variety of sources, such as Google, lawyers’ LinkedIn profiles and other independent review sites.
3) Consider a free, no-commitment consultation
Most divorce attorneys offer a free initial consultation, which is another thing to consider when hiring a divorce lawyer. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about what they can bring to your case, and for you both to decide if you’re w good fit for working together. You need to be able to get on with and trust your divorce lawyer.
Lawyers will usually outline your options during this initial consultation, without going into too much detail. It usually involves presenting your divorce case to a lawyer and receiving guidance about how they’ll handle the case in terms of financial settlements.
It’s recommended to make as many initial consultations as you can before choosing the right lawyer. You’ll get a much better idea of what to look for and what kind of person can best fit your needs by interviewing several lawyers. If a lawyer makes you feel uneasy during your initial meeting, or if you aren’t on the same page about your positions and viewpoints, that’s a sign that you should keep looking.
How to find the right divorce lawyer for you
While we can’t imagine any couple entering into a marriage expecting to split up, it’s wise that women should prepare for divorce. This way your finances will be better protected should you end up alone. But whether you’ve prepared or not, you can still benefit from finding a good divorce lawyer if you opt not to go down the mediation route.
In this article we’ve covered some of the things to consider when browsing divorce lawyers. An important starting point though, is to assess the situation you’re in so you can evaluate properly if the divorce lawyer will fit your needs.
Remember to consider choosing those who have proven experience and expertise in their field. Also, although reviews and recommendations are good to rely upon, be cautious as they can be manipulated. So try to find reviews from a range of independent sources to verify that experiences are genuine. And finally, maximize free, and no-obligation consultations as it they will give you a better idea of what to look for in a divorce lawyer.
