Your relationship with your spouse has come to the point where at least one of you or probably both of you have decided to part ways and legalize this decision by filing a divorce. It is not mandatory that every divorce appeal be presented by a lawyer. You can plead your case by yourself. But the process to get a divorce is not something that everybody is aware of and little professional help in the form of the divorce lawyer is quite welcome. But how do you choose the right divorce lawyer. Well, here are a few steps that can help you out.
Create a list of divorce lawyers
Getting you a divorce lawyer is quite like hiring a person for a job. You need to first create a list of potential candidates to choose from and then go on an interviewing spree before you can appoint the right candidate. You could make your list with contacts from the local yellow pages, doing a quick internet search, asking your social circle for referrals, if any, probably even office colleagues who might have used one before. The advantage of asking your family and friends is that you will get more than just the contact details of your potential divorce lawyer from them; you will also get important tips about the lawyers.
Shortlist them
Once you have a fair list to choose from, start short listing your candidates. To do this, you will need some insight on how the lawyers are and this is where your family and friends from Step 1 come in. Using their feedback and also feedback from other sites which allow clients to rate their lawyers, you can begin short listing your potential divorce lawyers. Your financial standing will also decide which lawyers you can work with and who you can’t. What is worthy of mentioning here is that high charging lawyers are not necessarily the best match for your requirements.
Seek an appointment
Once you have narrowed your list to three of probably four lawyers, you must seek an appointment with them to discuss your case. Prepare for this appointment with all relevant papers that the lawyer might have asked for when scheduling the appointment. Lawyers should ideally not charge you for this initial consultation, but in the case some do, see to it that you do not pay a large amount for this. Although, you are seeking your potential divorce lawyer’s appointment, you are actually heading there to interview him/her for your needs.
It is therefore normal to expect that the lawyer you are probably going to work with for your divorce, gives you his undivided attention and utmost respect during the initial consultation as well. If he/she fails to do so now, he might not even bother in the future, when your divorce is under process. You do not want to be in a position where you have to look for another divorce lawyer then, do you?
Ask for input for your case
It is not wrong to ask potential divorce lawyers for specific inputs for your case. Each divorce is unique in its own way and although divorce lawyers are not therapists to help you get over your divorce or understand your mental state, they are professionals who must offer professional advice for your problems. So, do not feel shy of asking for specific inputs, since this also shows how much your divorce lawyer is interested in pleading your case.
Final decision
Take your final decision on the basis of how comfortable you were with your potential lawyers during the interviews. If you find a lawyer intimidating or dismissive of your opinions, then it is better not to work with him/her at all. Fees for pleading the case will also have sufficient weightage since you want to be left with something when you finalize your divorce and not give away your divided assets to a divorce lawyer.
