Wednesday, August 22, 2007

How to Find the Best Divorce Lawyer for Your Case

If you are in the market for a divorce lawyer, you would be wise to interview five to ten attorneys about your case. These interviews help educate you about different lawyering styles and will help avoid the unpleasant and costly problem of starting over with a new lawyer in the middle of your case.

Some domestic relations lawyers take a very aggressive and hard line approach, while others prefer negotiation, collaborative divorce or alternative dispute resolution. Some lawyers handle a few divorce cases a year and would not be the right choice if your spouse has hired an aggressive divorce litigator. Your goal, as the prospective client, is to find counsel whose approach and fee structure make sense to you.

As you meet with various lawyers about your case, recognize that you are being interviewed as well. You may find a lawyer who meets your criteria, only to discover that he does not want to accept you as a client because he perceives you to be a "problem client." Here are some of the factors that make lawyers wary about accepting a new divorce client:


avoid bad-mouthing other lawyers you have met. Every attorney who has been in practice for even a few years recognizes that a certain percentage of clients will turn and attack the lawyer if things do not go well. Not every case goes exactly as planned and sometimes, a judge will make an unfavorable decision. The lawyer sees his job as creating reasonable and logical arguments on your behalf and presenting those arguments to a fact finder (judge or jury) clearly and forcefully. Clients who bad mouth other lawyers generally have unrealistic expectations or demands and good lawyers avoid taking on these clients.


avoid excessive focus on money. Assuming the lawyers that make your initial cut are reasonable, fair people, they recognize that you want to spend no more than necessary in pursuing your case. An ethical, competent lawyer will not run up time on your case to increase his fee. Along those same lines, good lawyers will not be offended if you ask for more detail about an entry on a bill. Most divorce lawyers end up spending time on your case that does not get billed at all. No one can predict exactly how divorce litigation will proceed or what your spouse's lawyer will do. You should listen carefully when the lawyer you are interviewing discusses fees and payment requirements. You may find, for example, that during the course of your interviews, several lawyers suggest a similar fee range for your case. You may need to adjust your own expectations. If you come across as a penny pincher who will question every entry on every bill, you may find it difficult to find the right lawyer.


avoid blaming others for all of your problems. Your life will not be pleasant during your divorce proceedings. You will be under a great deal of stress and irritants that otherwise would not be a problem will bother you. Your lawyer's job is not to make you happy, but to represent your interests in an organized and determined fashion. Since you will likely take the witness stand, a potential lawyer will look at you as a witness. Do you come across as reasonable, logical and likeable? Or will you turn off a judge or jury by whining, complaining and blaming your ex-spouse for all your problems. Your lawyer wants a good outcome in your case - if you are not a likeable witness, he will be less likely to take on your case.


recognize that there are no "winners" in a divorce case. If your express to a lawyer your desire to "win" your divorce case by getting your way with every issue, your lawyer will conclude that you live in a fantasyland. Experienced divorce lawyers recognize that a divorce trial necessarily involves two angry and bitter people, operating at an emotional low point of their lives who are asking a stranger to make far reaching decisions about money and parent child relationships based on limited and conflicting information. The best you can hope for is to come out with as little damage as possible. If the end result if even slightly fair and reasonable, you are ahead of the game. Clients who understand this reality are much more desirable than clients to are looking for a big win.


Experienced divorce lawyers appreciate and respect clients who bring to their office a realistic understanding about the divorce process. A good divorce lawyer can bring predictability, understanding and comfort to an unpleasant time in your life. If you need to work through your anger and feelings of betrayal, a good psychologist is the right choice. You can increase your chances at finding a divorce lawyer who will take your case if you present yourself as a reasonable and appreciative person in need of help.

Jonathan Ginsberg is a practicing bankruptcy, workers compensation and Social Security disability lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the editor and publisher of a Social Security disability blog and the Georgia Workers Compensation blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Ginsberg

Do You Need A Divorce Lawyer?

If your marriage has ended, and both parties feel that it's time to get a divorce, you do not necessarily need a divorce lawyer to handle your case. You can file for a divorce yourself using many of the do-it-yourself divorce kits if there are no children involved, and if the marital property can be divided as both parties would like. If you have children, if one or the other protests the divorce, or if you have a lot of property to divide, you should hire a divorce lawyer.

A divorce lawyer will file the proper paperwork to ensure that you get your fair share in the divorce. This is especially true if your spouse is against the divorce or disagrees with certain aspects of the breakup, like custody of children or division of the marital property.

To save money, you and your spouse should sit down and discuss the areas of concern before hiring a divorce lawyer. If you both can come to an agreement on some aspects of the divorce, or better yet, all aspects of the divorce, you will not have to cover those areas other than to tell the divorce lawyer what you can agree on before he or she begins working on your case.

If you both can agree on custody, but can't decide on how to split the value of your home, you will save money when you cover only the concern with your divorce lawyer of how to divide your home. There will be no need to waste time discussing the custody issue if it's resolved, which will save legal fees. A divorce lawyer charges by the hour and if you can save 30 minutes of talking, you could save yourself more than a hundred dollars. Therefore, always discuss aspects of the divorce individually before bringing your concerns before the divorce lawyer.

If you do not feel that your spouse can discuss the case rationally without anger, then your divorce lawyer will know how best to deal with him or her.

When selecting a divorce lawyer, you will want to locate one that is not only good, but that is also compassionate. Going through a divorce can be very stressful for both parties and any children involved, so you should make sure that your divorce lawyer has a compassionate and caring attitude not only towards you and your children, but towards your spouse as well. There's no reason to have an angry and stressful divorce no matter what you and your spouse’s differences are, and your divorce lawyer should be understanding of this.

If you hire a divorce lawyer and if you are not happy with his or her services, do not hesitate firing him or her. You are paying for legal services and if you are not happy with the way your divorce lawyer is handling your case, you are always free to find someone who will handle your divorce in a manner that you see fit.

Of course there are certain laws each party must abide by. Custody issues, visitation and child support are some things your divorce lawyer cannot change. Liberal visitation is provided for the one who does not have physical custody, and child support is legally required. If your divorce lawyer states that you must let your spouse see his or her child every other weekend, this is something that you can not change and you should not get upset with your divorce lawyer about something like this.

But if your divorce lawyer states that he or she is going to draft the papers to grant more than is required by law, and if you are unhappy about this, ask the divorce lawyer to make changes or find yourself another divorce lawyer.

For researched and comprehensive information on divorce lawyer go to http://www.lawyers-web.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Salihu_Ibrahim