Divorce, separation, child support, custody and other relevant family matters are amongst the most challenging situations for any family. Such situation badly affects the lives of the partners involved, their children, and impacts other relatives too. In such circumstances, it is imperative to focus on the things that matter the most.
The only way that can alleviate your situation is with the assistance and guidance of a qualified, well-versed and efficient family lawyer. However, finding such a family lawyer is a highly complicated task. But don’t worry! Because, we present you seven easy tips to help you avoid making any wrong choice when hiring a lawyer to handle your legal family matters:
How to Find a Good Family Law Lawyer
1. Tap Your Network
Typically, personal recommendations and conferring with people you know and trust for referrals, work the best when finding a right attorney for you and your family. Thus, approach a friend, relative, or an acquaintance who has previously dealt with such situation or knows a good family lawyer. You can also take advantage of online social platforms or lawyer-rating services to locate a legal practitioner who best suits your needs within your budgets.
2. Consider Those Who Understand Your Situation
Since family matters and relationship issues are inherently sensitive in nature, the selected family lawyer has to be trustworthy, skillful, and experienced. Thus, make sure that the recommended attorney understands your specific situation and would proceed the legal case with confidentiality.
3. Consider Lawyers Working In Legal Firms That Specialize In Family Laws
Always remember that family law handles a wide variety of issues ranging from divorce and annulation to family separation and child custody. Consequently, you should choose the attorney who is familiar and comfortable with your particular problem, and is capable enough to cope with significant drawbacks that could arise in such cases.
4. Talk to Your Attorney
Before finalizing a family lawyer, it is imperative to talk to your attorney. Thus, ask for a free initial consultation where you can openly discuss your specific situations and problems before hiring his/her services and proceeding to the court hearing. You must be able to trust your instinct and intuition; and if you find yourself to be absolutely comfortable with the attorney, go ahead and consider hiring them.
5. Ask For Testimonials
Get testimonials and contact details of some of the former clients of the lawyer you are considering. Call up or visit them and know their experience and case outcomes with the attorney. Based on these client experiences you can figure out whether the attorney is worth hiring or not.
6. Avoid Price Shopping
Hiring an attorney to represent you is not like purchasing a pair of shoes at a shopping mall, where you visit different stores and then choose the cheapest shoes available. Remember that most of the inexperienced lawyers’ charge bargain hefty down payments simply to get your business and they could make the mistakes that can cost you worth millions in the long run. Thus, choosing the right, and experienced family lawyer in the first time is highly important.
7. Avoid entering into bad deals at mediation
Although most family cases should be resolved at mediation phase, never enter into a deal promising that “we can fix this later with the help of a modification action.” This is because there are many family problems that a modification action cannot fix, especially equitable distribution issues. But if you settle a deal which is verbal, you may face difficulty in the future.