What Kind of Questions to Ask a Divorce Attorney

When going into the first consultation with a divorce attorney, it’s important to know what makes them the right attorney for you. It can be difficult to know what separates a good attorney from a bad one and in order to find out, there are some questions you can ask. By asking these questions, you’ll be able to find the right lawyer for you to help you navigate the divorce proceedings.

Common Questions for Your Divorce Lawyer:

How much experience do you have in the field? –This is an important question; you want to know that your attorney can handle anything that comes his way. You need to know that your lawyer is going to have the experience necessary to get you what you deserve. Divorces are never easy but having an experienced attorney on your side will make the process easier.

What is involved in the process of divorce and how long will it take? –Your attorney can help guide you through the divorce by educating you on what to expect. Ask your divorce attorney to explain the process, step by step, and make sure you understand exactly what’s going to occur every step of the way. You should also speak with your lawyer about how long the process will take, this will be a rough estimate because the length can change depending on the decisions made by you and your spouse.

How much will you charge me and how do I need to pay? –When you hire a lawyer, you will have to sign a retainer agreement. This agreement will explain how you will be charged, be sure to ask about the hourly rate and how billing will work. Make sure you know the consequences of not paying your bill in full and whether you can pay by credit card and if you can set up a payment plan. You should also ask the attorney what the overall cost of the divorce will be, the attorney will more than likely be hesitant to answer. This question is extremely difficult to answer because most of the factors are no under his control or yours.

How will we communicate? – It’s important to be able to keep in contact with your lawyer and knowing the most effective form of communication is vital to keeping contact with your attorney. This can help speed up the process if he can email you draft documents as PDFs.

What kind of resources do you provide that will make the divorce easier? – Divorce is not just hard as a legal affair but is a very emotional time in any person’s life. Any good attorney will give information for resources to help deal with the emotional side of divorce.

What kind of a case do you think I have? – Lawyers cannot make guarantees regarding the results of a divorce. But your attorney should be able to look at the case and give an expected outcome

Knowing what to ask the lawyer about will help prepare you for the long road that lies ahead of you. If you ask your attorney these questions, it will give you a great head start on and help you devise a strategy to help the ruling be in your favor.

Stacey Schmidt is the lead counsel for the divorce and family law team at Schmidt Law, for more information please visit http://sschmidtlaw.wpengine.com/