How to Select a Divorce Attorney

By Scott Morgan

Selecting a divorce attorney to handle your family law case is a very important decision. The following are a few important criteria to help in finding the right divorce attorney.

Experience

Any attorney you consider should have substantial experience in handling divorce cases. An experienced divorce lawyer will be familiar with the tendencies of the various judges in your local divorce courts and can use this knowledge to your advantage. Additionally, that lawyer should practice primarily in the field of divorce law. Often people will hire a lawyer who practices primarily in some other area, thinking that any lawyer will do. However, divorce law is a very specialized field that requires particular skills and experience in order to have a likelihood of reaching a successful conclusion.

Past Client Testimonials

Perhaps the best way to decide which lawyer to use for your case is to find out what former clients have to say about that person. While divorce is never an enjoyable process, some divorce attorneys have more success at satisfying their clients than others. If you do not know someone who has been a client of that particular lawyer, you should consider asking the lawyer for a list of testimonials that describe their experience with the lawyer. While client confidentiality is important, any good divorce lawyer should have at least a few former clients who are willing to vouch for him or her.

Accessible

When a client becomes dissatisfied with a divorce lawyer, one of the most common complaints is that they were unable to communicate with the lawyer. It is very important that your divorce lawyer be accessible and prompt in responding to your phone calls, emails, and requests for meetings. While you can ask the lawyer what the office policy is about responding to client communication, this is another area where you can best evaluate that divorce lawyer by hearing what former clients have to say.

Fees

It is vitally important that you have a candid discussion with any prospective divorce lawyer about fees and what you can expect. Typically, an experienced divorce lawyer will require the payment of a substantial retainer up front, against which that lawyer's hourly rate and expenses will be charged. You should find out what that lawyer's hourly rate is, what the upfront retainer will be, whether any portion of the retainer is refundable if it is not exhausted, and how often you can expect to receive invoices that detail the hourly charges and expenses. You also will want to know how detailed and clear the invoices are. Once again, this is an area where you can get excellent information from individuals who have been clients of that divorce lawyer.

Comfortable

While all the above issues are important, there is one final question you should ask yourself before hiring a divorce lawyer. Are you comfortable with that lawyer and are you confident in his or her abilities? If the answer is anything other than a resounding "yes," you should keep looking. Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not inspire your confidence.

About the Author

Scott Morgan is the owner of www.california-divorce-info.com and a practicing divorce attorney in Houston, Texas.