3 Things To Remember When Consulting A Family Divorce Lawyer
Going through a divorce is rarely easy—particularly when there are children involved. Although some divorces can be completed through mediation without the need for a lawyer, most 'family divorces', or divorces where children are present, will require the expertise of a family lawyer.
If you are consulting a family divorce lawyer for your divorce, there are some things you should keep in mind.
Your divorce lawyer is not a therapist
In order for your lawyer to handle your case to the best of their ability, they have to know the truth about any details relevant to the divorce proceedings, which may include personal details. However, this isn't an invitation to treat your lawyer like a therapist and overwhelm them with personal details that will have no bearing on your case. It can be tempting to unload emotions on a divorce lawyer, but talking about how your spouse never appreciated you is not relevant to your case and is only wasting your—and your lawyer's—time. Remember: keep the details factual and keep them relevant.
Your goals must be reasonable
What are your goals for your divorce? A divorce lawyer, however experienced, can only do so much. If your goals are unreasonable or unrealistic, you run the risk of not reaching these high goals and potentially sabotaging your more reasonable goals as well. If you are not sure whether your goals are realistic, have a conversation with your chosen divorce lawyer about what you want—and subsequently what you may be able to expect—out of the situation. You don't need to lower your expectations to the ground, but you should keep them within an acceptable range.
Not all divorce lawyers were created equally
As it is with every profession, there are excellent family divorce lawyers, and there are terrible family divorce lawyers. However, there are many ways that you can tell the two apart. When you are interviewing your potential lawyers, keep an eye out for red flags, such as, promising you everything you want—or promising anything at all, as divorce proceedings are notoriously unpredictable; giving out personal details about previous cases, particularly about high profile or famous clients; not paying attention to you while you are in their office for consultations and being unwilling to provide proof of experience or cases won in the past.
Keeping some of these things in mind when consulting a family divorce lawyer will make the process easier. For more information, contact a local family lawyer, like those found at Ian Harper & Co Specialist Family Lawyers.