Deciding to divorce your spouse isn’t easy. It’s arguably one of the most difficult decisions you’ll have to make. The challenges, unfortunately, don’t just limit themselves to your emotions. Divorce has the potential to be a rather confusing and negative experience from a legal standpoint too, It’s no wonder, then, that most people getting a divorce seek the assistance of a divorce attorney. You don’t want just any divorce attorney representing you, however. You want one who is going to be a good fit for you. That means asking them questions during your initial consultation. So, what are some of the top questions you should ask your divorce attorney?
What Are Your Priorities?
Would it surprise you to know that not every divorce attorney has the same priorities? Sure, each divorce attorney should be representing their client to the best of their abilities, but there is a difference between that and what their priorities might be. For example, our priorities at LJ Law are the well-being of our clients and delivering the best, family driven, children focused results possible. Some divorce attorneys may have more financially driven priorities. Knowing what an attorney’s priorities are from the beginning can help you choose one whose priorities are in line with your own. It can be tough to know what they are if you don’t ask though, which is why it’s one of the top questions to ask your divorce attorney.
How Can I Make This More Affordable?
It’s no secret that attorneys are expensive. Barring being a pro bono case, you can expect divorce proceedings to cost you a few thousand dollars in attorney fees. That can cause some understandable concern, which makes the question of how you might go about making the divorce more affordable one of the top questions to ask your divorce attorney. You may be able to strategize about different things you can do to keep costs down. The general rule to keep in mind is that the more your attorney is involved in your case, the more costly the attorney fees will be.
What Should I Expect the Process to Be Like?
Divorces are very personal. Everyone’s circumstances, everyone’s case is different and unique, just as the individuals and their children are. That could leave you wondering what you can expect your process to be like. This is another question you should ask your divorce attorney. Incidentally, it’s also one of the questions that they will be better able to answer if you ask them what they need to know about your case. The more they know, the better they’ll be able to tell you what to expect. In general, however, you can expect the process to include filing for divorce, serving your spouse, gathering information, potential temporary child custody orders, mediation, dealing with asset management, and a resolution via a settlement agreement or a court hearing.
What Are My Next Steps?
There are some important decisions you’ll need to make on the back of your meeting with the divorce attorney. You may feel ready to hire them right away, or you may feel better about waiting for a while before moving forward. Either way, it’s a good idea to ask your divorce attorney about what the next steps are. That way both of you can prepare for the next steps in the case.
One of the most important things you can do during a consultation with a divorce attorney is to ask the right questions. Asking the right questions will help both you and the attorney get the information necessary to determine if they are a good fit for you and if your case is something they feel that they can help you with. Think carefully about the questions you want to ask leading up to your appointment so you’ll be well prepared when the time comes.
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