As you already know, going through a divorce is incredibly stressful for every single person involved in the process. In some situations, the entire ordeal can be settled outside of court, however, in other instances, it’s up to a judge to settle the case. No matter what situation you’re in, you’ll definitely need a lawyer.
However, how can you ensure that you hire the right one? Are there some things that you’ll have to do and consider? Simply said, there are some tips that you could use for determining which lawyer is suitable for you and this is exactly what we’ll discuss in this article, so, without further ado, let’s take a closer look:
1. You Should First Make a List
In order to make everything easier for yourself, the first thing that you should do is to create a list of all the potential candidates. This means that you’ll want to browse the Internet for lawyers that are in your area and write down their names. Why should you do this? Well, it’s quite simple – it’ll allow you to compare everything about the attorneys and if there is something that you don’t like, you can simply scratch them off the list until you’re left with a few, most suitable options. Our recommendation is to hire a professional law firm, such as Tsakanikas Law that can quickly assist you at every stage of the legal process.
2. Start With The Reviews
When you’re finished making your list, you must begin by reading all of the reviews. By learning what previous clients said, you’ll be able to learn whether or not they had a good experience and you’ll also be able to determine if a particular attorney is suitable for you. Of course, you should read the testimonials on the official websites, however, according to Kabir Family Law, you should also read them on independent platforms as well. If there are more negative than positive reviews, you might want to skip that lawyer.
3. Are They Licensed?
Every single lawyer in the world must have a license in order to practice law. So, when you’re browsing and comparing all the potential attorneys, you must also check their websites for their licenses. In most cases, you’ll be able to find it in the ‘About Us’ section. However, if you cannot find it, you might want to contact their office and ask about it. If you cannot obtain proof of the license, you shouldn’t hire them, especially since this can influence the outcome of your case.
4. Are They Qualified?
Law is a complex industry, and there are various types of lawyers. Of course, all attorneys will probably be able to guide you through a divorce, however, if you want to ensure that you get the best out of the entire process, you must ensure that you hire someone that has skills and knowledge in divorces. Someone who is specialized in divorces will know exactly what to do and how to react in certain situations, something that can help your case quite a lot.
5. Compare Their Services
Different law organizations offer different services to their clients, hence, once you’re done checking if they’re qualified, you must compare all of the services they offer. By now, your list has probably gotten shorter, and if so, it’ll be easier for you to compare what you can get for the money you’ll be paying. Depending on your case, you should look for services that are suitable for your needs, and budget, which leads us to our next point.
6. Compare The Rates And Fees
No legal representative comes with a cheap price tag – especially the really experienced and skilled ones – however, you should also compare all the rates and fees a particular organization has. Keep in mind, some attorneys might work on contingency, but this most commonly happens only when they know they’ll win your case. If the rates aren’t mentioned, find the telephone number and call the office, and inquire about the rates and fees.
7. See if They Offer a Free Consultation
You’ll have to speak to the attorney before they accept your case, but, you probably don’t want to pay for the consultation. So, when you narrowed down your list, your next step is to check whether or not a particular company offers a free consultation. If they do, you should choose to schedule a meeting, especially since you’ll need to explain your entire case before they can tell you if they can do anything for you.
8. Schedule a Meeting
If you have three or four attorneys left, you must ensure that you schedule a meeting with all of them. If you opt for doing this, you’ll be able to see whether or not you can communicate normally with them, which is especially important for you. Once you’re there, you shouldn’t hold back any questions that you might have, nor should you hold the details of your case, mostly because everything is important.
9. Evaluate The Attorneys Based on Your Meetings
By now, you have probably finished all of your meetings. Based on all the information you gathered including their educational background, skills, experience, knowledge, as well as communication skills, and kindness, you should determine which legal representative is the best for you, and more importantly for your divorce process and case. Keep in mind, you’ll want to like the lawyer, mostly because you’ll be working with them on an important thing.
10. Hire The Right One
The last thing that you should do is to hire the right and most suitable attorney for your case. Hence, when you’re done evaluating the lawyers, services, and rates, you can simply choose the one that you feel comfortable with working and communicating with – and going through all the aforementioned steps will do just that.
Conclusion
To ensure that everything goes according to plan during your divorce process, you must ensure that you choose the right attorney. And if you opt for following all or at least some tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to make the entire process less daunting, time-consuming, and more importantly, less stressful.
So, now that you’re aware of all the things you’ll definitely want to do, you shouldn’t really waste any more of your time. Instead, you should return to the beginning of our list and start with the first thing we mentioned – which is creating a list of all the potential candidates in your area.