What if your family was falling apart and you didnât do anything about it?
A family lawyer is an absolute necessity when you are going through a divorce or other family matters. Unfortunately, many people donât know how to find the best family lawyer for themselves and their needs.
Wondering how you can find the greatest family lawyer? Keep reading to discover our complete guide!
Determine the Need
Weâve put together some solid tips for finding the best family lawyer. However, your first step should be determining whether you need this kind of lawyer at all.
The most common situation requiring a family lawyer would be an upcoming divorce. In that case, youâll need someone who can help with matters of custody, alimony, child support, and so on.
At the beginning of a marriage, such a lawyer can help both of you complete a prenup. They can also help with situations ranging from adoption to a restraining order against a partner.
If your situation falls outside of these areas, you may need a different kind of lawyer on your side.
Know What You Want
Identifying the need for a family lawyer is one thing. However, itâs equally important to know exactly what you want the lawyer to help with.
For example, do you intend to push for sole custody after a divorce? Or do you have a firm argument for who should get the house and other property?
Obviously, the lawyer may not be able to get you everything you want. But if you donât accurately and honestly tell them your goal, then you may end up with special needs lawyers that you wanted.
No Rush
When youâre going through something like a divorce, it feels like everything is falling apart. You may feel like itâs your job to run around and try to fix everything as quickly as possible.
However, this is going to be a life-changing event for you. Itâs important to take deep breaths and avoid making any kind of rushed decisions. And that includes hiring a lawyer!
Most of our advice boils down to doing different kinds of research. This is so you donât make a blind decision: instead, youâre able to make an informed choice about who fits best with your case and your needs.
The âtake a breathâ advice works during the actual proceedings as well. Things like custody matters can be highly emotional, but if you have an outburst, it could jeopardize your chances of getting what you want.
Check the Cost
Situations like divorce can already be very expensive. And chances are that you donât want to make it any more expensive than it has to be.
Thatâs why you need to check the prices of all the lawyers you may be interested in hiring. You also need to know how their pricing structures work.
The simplest (and most common) price structure is the hourly rate. As the name implies, you will be paying the lawyer for every hour they spend working on your case.
In rare cases, a family lawyer may work on a contingency fee. This means they are entitled to a certain percentage of anything you receive after the case.
Instead of a traditional hourly rate, some family lawyers will charge a retainer. This just means you pay a lot of money upfront for the work they are about to do. If the case drags on and they burn through the retainer money, then you will start paying them by the hour.
Asking Around
Whatâs the best way to find the best family law attorney? Simple: ask people about their experiences!
A reputation (good or bad) always precedes a professional. By asking friends, family, and coworkers about local lawyers, you can start getting recommendations based on personal experience. You can also search the internet for social media chatter about the attorney and testimonials from previous clients.
Think of this as a form of crowdsourcing. Chances are you donât complete an online product order without checking the reviews; why stop when it comes to hiring an attorney?
Local Authority
Where is the ideal family law attorney located? The answer to this is usually âin the county where you will file the case.â
By now, you should have a list of lawyers with good prices and good reputations. Now we come to the question of who they know and how it can help you.
As an example, a local lawyer may be familiar with judges, staff, and other legal professionals. Such knowledge can help your case move more smoothly; after all, your attorney knows exactly how to deal with his colleagues!
That means when you hire someone like the Hardesty Law Office, you get more than a great lawyer. You get the benefit of their entire extended network.
Initial Consultation
Before you settle into the long-term with a lawyer, youâll need to have an initial consultation. And youâll want to come to this consultation armed with many different questions.
First, get exact answers about things like pricing, areas of specialty, and years of experience. Youâll also need to tell them everything about your case. Itâs important to be honest here and not omit any key details.
If you like their answers and get a good feeling about them, then itâs time to hire this attorney. Be sure to get agreements about their pricing and fees in writing to ensure that there are no problems with the final bill.
Paper, Paper Everywhere
Itâs the lawyerâs job to help your family issue go smoothly. You can help them out, though, by providing as much documentation as possible.
For something like a divorce to be more than a series of âhe said, she said,â youâll need to provide documentation. This includes e-mails, text messages, and other documents that help back up what you are saying.
Hiring the Best Family Lawyer: The Bottom Line
Now you know how to hire the best family lawyer. But do you know what happens when your case is over?
We bring you news from around the world every week. To see how we can help with life after divorce, check out our lifestyles articles today!