Choosing a Lawyer

People going through a divorce have many options when it comes to choosing a lawyer. Finding the right lawyer to guide you through this process can have a significant impact on the outcome of your divorce. The decisions you make today and throughout the proceedings are decisions most families will live with for years to come, particularly those relating to parenting time, child support, and finances. The right advice at the outset can help you make the right decisions today and in the future.

Here are a few things you should consider when hiring a lawyer:

• Experience – Your attorney should be focused on divorce and family law.  This is a complicated area of law, particularly when children are involved.  Look for lawyers with experience, reputation, and references.
• Candor – A good attorney gives you a candid assessment about your case and your chances on specific issues.  Your lawyer should be a pragmatist, offering realistic evaluations to speed resolution.
• Children – If you have children, your attorney should make your children a priority and help you minimize the impact of divorce on them.
• Focus – The right attorney will focus on the important issues, providing intelligently aggressive representation.  Avoid attorneys who promise to fight for everything and see divorce as a win or lose proposition.  That mindset disrupts resolution and hurts all parties to the process, especially children.
• Demeanor – Your lawyer should answer your questions and be accessible to you, as well.  Look for a lawyer willing to take the time to do so.
• Problem Solving Skills – Your attorney should identify problems and solve them – whether through counseling, wise advice, mediation, collaborative law, or possible trial.  A good attorney looks at all the options to solve a problem in order to minimize the impact of divorce, particularly on children.

An attorney with these skills will provide the right balance of aggressively intelligent representation, confidence, and comfort, whether you are in the early stages of dissolving your marriage, negotiating child support and custody agreements, or modifying an existing order.

Call us to schedule your confidential case evaluation and assessment today.