The three most important things when choosing a lawyer:
- Find a lawyer whose goal is a fair and equitable result for you.
Probably one of the most important aspects of hiring a lawyer is the lawyer’s personality. Is the lawyer interested in obtaining a fair and equitable result for you or simply litigating the case? The former results in a quicker, cheaper divorce and the later can result in a drawn-out case resulting in much more attorney fees. Accordingly, it is better to have a lawyer who knows what a fair and equitable result is and strives to obtain that without going to trial.
- Seek an attorney with experience in the family law field.
You want to hire an experienced attorney. You do not want to be the one paying the lawyer to learn how to conduct a family law case. Seek out someone who has years of experience, as this is the most efficient way to obtain your final result.
- Make sure all financial agreements between you and the attorney are in writing and that you receive monthly billing statements.
All lawyers should provide written contracts outlining what they are going to do and the fees they will charge. Never retain a lawyer on a verbal agreement. If they are unable to plainly lay out the attorney fees involved, seek someone else. Also, if they present you an attorney fee contract with a non-refundable retainer, have them eliminate that provision or seek someone else.
Finally, make sure that you receive monthly billing statements detailing the work performed, the time involved and the date that such work was performed. During the process of your divorce, if you have any issues with your billing, you need to contact the lawyer immediately. Do not let billing issues continue to build up, as it will be difficult to resolve these matters at a later date.