Divorce Lawyer

      You want three things in your divorce attorney:

expertise in divorce,
reliability, and a good attitude.

You want a lawyer who specializes in
divorce (at least 50% of his/her case load), and unless you’re expecting a
no-holds-barred battle, you want a lawyer trained in divorce mediation who
practices it professionally. Mediation-minded attorneys are more likely to
give you neutral and problem-solving advice, whereas traditional attorneys
tend to be more oriented to conflict and their advice tends to be
adversarial. Your attorney must be someone you can trust and work with
comfortably, someone who has your confidence.

Once you’ve found the right lawyer, here are some tips on how you can use
your attorney in ways that will make your divorce go as smoothly and
inexpensively as possible.

Using a lawyer efficiently. The most important thing is to be very well
prepared whenever you contact a lawyer. Know your facts, know what you
want to ask about, and know exactly what you want the lawyer to explain or
do for you. Plan each conversation; make an agenda; write down the things
you want to talk about; take notes on the content of the conversation;
keep track of time spent on all phone calls and meetings. Keep a file for
all your notes and all letters and documents. Do as much as possible on
the phone and by mail to keep the office time at a minimum.

Regard your attorney as a resource, not someone you cling to or depend on
for emotional support and stability. A lawyer is not the right person to
make your decisions or lead your life–you are. Lawyers cost too much for
you to use them for sympathy and consolation–that’s what family, friends
and counselors are for.

When you talk to a lawyer, stick to the facts and don’t just chat, ramble,
or complain about things your spouse did unless you actually want your
lawyer to do something about it. Don’t take your anger to an attorney; you
want your best interests represented, not your emotions.

Taking control of your own case. Being in control of your own case and
your own life is the single best thing you can do in any divorce, so it is
essential that you have a lawyer who can work cheerfully on that basis. If
you are well prepared and business like, that will help the lawyer see
that you are in charge of things, but you should actually say that’s how
you want it to be. Tell the lawyer that you want good advice and will rely
on the lawyer’s experience, but that you expect to make decisions that
concern the tone and strategy of the case. Ask that you be sent copies of
all documents and letters. Let the attorney know that you expect phone
calls to be answered by the next working day. These little things let the
lawyer know you are the boss. After all, you pay the bills.

Using a lawyer for specific tasks. Instead of hiring a lawyer to get you a
divorce, it may be far more cost-effective to use the lawyer just for
information or advice on specific subjects. That may be all the legal help
you will need. If not, you can always go back for more help later. 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 what the likely outcome
will be in your county, write all your questions down and ask a lawyer.

You may decide to have a lawyer help with your marital settlement
agreement, either to draft one or just to check over one you have made
yourself. If you get stuck or confused at any point in your divorce,
that’s a good time to go for help. The more specific and prepared you can
be, the more you will get for your money.