Three Things That Are Needed From A Divorce Lawyer

by Paul Abbey

You want three things in your divorce lawyer; expertise, reliability, and the right attitude. In these circumstances you will need a divorce attorney who has at least half their workload in this area and one that is able to act as a mediator.
Still, you also need to feel at ease with them; someone who immediately instills a sense of trust.

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. Some of the work load will be yours so you need to ensure you are well prepared each time you speak with your divorce lawyer and know exactly what they need from you and vice versa.

Make sure you know exactly what you intend to ask and record the answers as each time you contact your lawyer there will be a charge involved so note times dates and durations of conversations. Keep a file for all your notes, letters and documents so do as much as possible on the phone and by mail to keep the office time at a minimum.

An attorney does not come cheap so use them only for the purpose you hired them for, legal advice, they are not there as an emotional problem solver, there are other professionals who specialize in that area. 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.

You really want your lawyer to know that you are in control and in charge of what is going on and that they are to help you with legal and technical issues and not to get your life straight. You are employing them for their experience but at the same time you need them to understand that it is your divorce and you want to make the decisions about how it is too proceed. You will need to instruct them to forward any information they have received to you and you expect a prompt reply to any issue you may raise.

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. Divorce lawyers can draw up or assist with marital settlements their clients have drawn up themselves, but in this scenario, if things awry at least you will have someone who is familiar with your case.

About the Author
P Abbey owns and operates http://www.couplecounselingin.com Couple counseling