Unless you’ve already dealt with the difficult ins and outs of the divorce process, you may find yourself meeting with lawyer after lawyer trying to find the right fit. While meeting with a potential family lawyer serving Wichita may be time-consuming, finding the right fit is the key to a faster, less-expensive divorce. Luckily, you can speed up the process of hiring a family lawyer by knowing what to look for ahead of time.
Be realistic
You need to remember that divorce is a legal process in which you dissolve your assets and resolve custody issues. Consequently, your divorce lawyer’s job is to represent you to the best of his or her abilities. Even though this is an emotional time, your divorce attorney isn’t there to listen to your anger, frustration, pain and sadness. Using a family attorney as a therapist is a gross misuse of your money, as he or she won’t be trained to help you in that way. It’s much healthier to begin this process with realistic expectations of your attorney’s role throughout your divorce proceedings.
Know what you want
Before you begin contacting family law attorneys, consider what you want from the divorce process. For example, you may be interested in other alternatives to traditional litigation, especially if you and your spouse don’t have children or considerable finances. In this case, working with a mediator may be a better way to negotiate the terms of your divorce. However, if your mediations are complicated, you may want to consider working with a divorce lawyer that can negotiate a settlement on your behalf.
Identify potential attorneys
Not all lawyers are the same, so you don’t want to jump and hire the first one you meet with. You should interview with at least three attorneys before you make your final hiring decision. While every attorney you meet with should specialize in family law, your ideal attorney has the legal knowledge and experience to help you understand the process. Your attorney should also have experience handling cases in your specific court system.