3 Important Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Divorce Attorney
Have you decided that you no longer wish to be married to your current spouse? Are you wondering who you should choose to assist you with legally disentangling yourself from this person? Dealing with a divorce, even if it's a mostly agreeable one, is never a fun prospect. If the divorce is a contentious one, you're going to want the best legal representation that you can get. But with so many attorneys out there, it's not always easy to figure out which one might be best for your needs. In order to help you decide, some of the best questions that you should be asking before agreeing to hire one include:
How long will it take before the divorce is finalized? Although he or she won't be able to give you an exact answer, an experienced divorce attorney should be able to give you a rough timeline based on experience. The answer will depend on things like how busy the court system is, whether or not your spouse contends the divorce, and if there are any children involved in the marriage. While acrimonious divorces are notorious for taking years to resolve, a more agreeable divorce could be finalized in a matter of weeks or months.
What is your fee structure? Every divorce attorney will have different fees for different things. Simply having a paralegal draw up the initial paperwork may be a flat fee, but most other services are going to be charged at an hourly rate. They will also expect a different amount as a retainer, ranging from practically nothing to several thousand dollars. All of this needs to be known before you can decide whether it's a good idea to hire this particular attorney or if you should keep looking elsewhere for your legal needs.
Have you handled cases like this before? Being a divorce attorney doesn't automatically make anyone an expert in every type of divorce. Some are going to be better at dealing with cases involving child custody while others may focus their efforts mainly on same-sex marriages. If you feel that you have a particularly complicated divorce case, you're going to want a lawyer who is as experienced as possible in handling the types of situations that might arise during the divorce process. It may take you multiple tries before you find an attorney that you feel has the right type of experience, but it will be worth the trouble in the end.
Contact a firm, like Law Office of Greg Quimby, P.C., for more help.