subject: How To Find A Great Divorce Attorney [print this page] If you have done all of the soul-searching and therapy and still come to the conclusion that you need to file a divorce, it is time to find a good divorce lawyer. Some people may think that they can go through this process on their own, but that would be a mistake. A divorce is a legal proceeding and there are details involved in the process that a divorce attorney will know about, that you would not. Just because you hire a legal expert does not mean that it has to be an ugly divorce, it just means that you have someone on your side that is protecting your interests.
The first thing that you need to look into is finding a legal representative who specializes in the area of family law and divorce. You would not go to a podiatrist if you had heart problems, would you? The same thing applies to the field of law. A lawyer who specializes in other forms of law may be able to give you general representation, but they would not have the same level of knowledge that someone who specializes in family law could give you. However, unlike the medical field, anyone with the title of attorney can make the claim that they specialize in divorce law. Make sure that the attorney you are considering actually is an expert in the field and they are not just telling you that in order to get your business. You should also look for someone who has been practicing law in your area for as long as possible. Each jurisdiction gets to make up its own laws and someone who just moved into the area may not be up to speed on all of the details yet. Make sure you use someone who has a successful track record of handing divorce cases in your area.
Regardless of the intent at the beginning of the process to resolve the matter before it would be necessary to go to court, you never know what will happen. For this reason, you should make sure that your attorney has a good amount of experience in a court room. Some legal experts specialize in making deals, but that sometimes means that they are not very good in a trial because they do not have very much experience doing this. Make sure this does not happen to you.
You should not disregard the personal qualities of your divorce lawyer either. Yes, it is important that you find a lawyer who has a lot of experience and has had success in similar cases. However, it is also important that you feel comfortable with them. You will be discussing very personal matters related to your life and this situation will be very uncomfortable if you do not get on well with your attorney.
Your lawyer's main job is to make sure that they represent your best interest in the case. If you are not comfortable sharing some of the details, they will not be able to do this for you. Make sure you find a lawyer that you like.
