5 Questions To Ask Your Divorce Lawyer On Your First Appointment

Before you hire a divorce lawyer, you need to gather as much information as possible by preparing a list of questions to ask so you can feel comfortable with the attorney. This is because you need to hire a lawyer you know is capable, reliable, and someone you can easily communicate with throughout the whole process. 

Here are five questions you need to ask a divorce lawyer during the first appointment:

1. How Long Have You Been Practicing As A Divorce Attorney?

You’ll want to hire an experienced attorney, especially if the divorce includes some substantial assets or custody dispute. You should ask how long the lawyer has been practicing divorce and family law and how many cases the professional has handled. 

Also, ask how many cases the lawyer handled that led to a court trial. This is to grasp how well a divorce attorney performs inside a courtroom.

2. How Many People Will Be Working On My Case?

You should also ask whether there’ll be other people working on your case. This question will help you understand who the people are that’s going to be working with the lawyer. This will also let you know what kind of tasks each professional is going to work on and how much each of them will charge you. 

Aside from that, you should also ask which of them you should contact if you want to get some news or updates about your case or if you have further questions to ask.

3. How Are You Going To Charge Me?

This is one of the most important questions to ask when looking for a divorce attorney. As much as you hate to ask it, you have to bring up the topic of how much it’ll cost you right away. When it comes to billing, lawyers are ethically required to be transparent about it. So, expect to receive a detailed explanation about their fee structure upon asking this question. 

Lawyers will lay out to you everything you need to know about billing. The good news is you can always ask them about several options on how you can save on fees. 

4. How Much Will The Divorce Cost Me?

It might be impossible to guess how much the divorce will cost you since it’ll depend on the actions of both parties. It also depends on how many contested assets are included in the case. Most assets are evaluated by a court to determine who gets which assets. 

You and your attorney should have a discussion as to how much your divorce will cost you as well as ways on how to save on fees. You should also consider asking for a settlement instead of going to trial. Work with your lawyer to persuade your former partner to work things out so the divorce won’t cost you that much.

5. What Is Divorce Actually Like?

As a divorcee, there’s no doubt that you’ll be consumed with feelings of anxiety, fear, and dread. These emotions are normal and they shouldn’t prevent you from going through the divorce proceedings in the best way possible.

Divorces have a way of taking over your life for a while. Even though you and your spouse may have been happy together, it can be difficult and it can feel as if your world has come to an end and nothing is ever going to be normal again.

You might also find yourself concerned with the custody of the children. This can be a rather easy thing to sort out. If you and your spouse are both willing to put in a reasonable amount of time and effort to work things out with the court, then the final custody decisions will likely be simple. If either of you feels the other parent is unfit or simply doesn’t care, then you have to go to custody court and see what your options are.

Final Thoughts

In many cases, attorneys offer a free initial meeting to discuss the case. If an attorney is reluctant to meet or isn’t available, it’s wise to consider other options. There are many things to ask a divorce lawyer before you hire one. 

These questions will help you find an experienced and skilled divorce attorney to guide you throughout all the legal proceedings. An experienced attorney can also assist you in developing a settlement that satisfies the needs of both parties and is tailored to the unique needs of each case. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you prepare for your first appointment with a legal professional.