The May Firm

The outcome of your divorce proceedings will change the course of your life forever; so invest the time and money to find the lawyer who will do the best job for you.  Here are some suggested questions to ask during your initial interview:

• Do you practice family law exclusively? What percentage of your practice is family law?
• What is your retainer? Is this fee refundale?  What is your hourly rate?
• What is your billing technique?
• Approximately how much will my divorce cost?  Your lawyer can only provide you a general idea of costs based on the information you provide and a guess about how amicable the process will be.  Even if you think your case is simple, but the other side makes it unnecessarily complicated, you can expect your costs to increase.
• What do you think the outcome will be?  Remember you are looking for an honest assessment, not necessarily what will make you happiest.
• If you spouse has retained an attorney, ask your prospective lawyer what she knows about this attorney. Have you worked with her before? Do you think she will work to settle?
• What percentage of your cases go to trial?  You actually want to choose a lawyer with a balance of settled cases versus trials.  Do not choose a lawyer that tries too many cases because that shows a lack of willingness to settle and will be more costly for you in the long run.
• How long will the process take?  Again, the best this can be is an approximation.
• What are my rights and obligations during this process?
• Will you actually handle my case or will someone else in your firm be responsible for my case?
• Should I consider mediation?
• What information will you need from me?
• What happens next?

Tags: General, Qualifications Of A Lawyer, Hiring a Lawyer, Lawyer Client Relationship //