Enter Into Proceedings With A Divorce Lawyer

In the unlikely event you have to retain the services of a divorce lawyer, ensure they have adequate experience and you can rely on them. As far as experience is concerned, an attorney should be able to show that at least half of their work involves divorce cases and have good negotiation skills as well. They will need to be someone in whom you can place your trust and feel comfortable working with so if these criteria cannot be met then you will need to look elsewhere.

Mediation minded attorneys are more likely to give you problem solving advice, whereas traditional attorneys tend to be more oriented to conflict and their advice tends to be adversarial. A divorce lawyer is a busy person so before you contact them know exactly what information you need them to supply.

Plan each conversation by making an agenda and write down the things you want to talk about; take notes on the content of the conversation and the amount of time spent on phone calls. Try to keep actual meetings to a minimum and where points have to be clarified, use the phone or send a letter.

Your attorney is there for advice and any foreseeable legal actions so do not rely on them for anything but what you are paying them for, and especially not as a shoulder to cry on. When you talk to a divorce lawyer, stick to the facts and don't complain about things your spouse did unless you actually want your lawyer to do something about.

Let your lawyer know from the start that you will be in charge of the case and they are there for legal advice and not as someone to lean on when things start getting rough. Your legal representative must be told up front that while his or her advice is essential, all decisions regarding the divorce will be made by you. Let them know that copies of any correspondence relating to the case will need to be sent to you along with any other information and if you contact them, to reply as quickly as possible.

Don't think that you have to enter into proceedings armed with a lawyer in tow as they aren’t always necessary although you may wish to speak to one just for advice on a marital settlement for example. After you have organized all your facts and read about how the law works in your case, if you still have questions about the law or the likely outcome, write all your questions down and ask your lawyer. If you have employed a divorce lawyer to help you with a marital settlement, whether you have compiled it yourself or asked them too, it is easy to ask them for additional help if the case does not proceed according to plan.