You understand the turmoil that divorce can cause when it enters your life and uproots many aspects of everything you have grown accustomed to. Because of this, having an experienced divorce attorney to work with you rather than against you can help move things along tremendously. There are many aspects involved in a divorce that may cause you stress and have you questioning everything. However, aside from the emotional aspects involved with divorce, there are also various financial aspects such as financial disclosure requirements, restraining orders, alimony, child support, and the division of property and retirement benefits. These factors can become a big issue if you walk into a courtroom expecting an outcome but have no legal guidance on your side.
Questions You Should Always Ask an Attorney
Of course, some people will have a divorce with minimal issues, meaning finances and past conflict may not get in the way. However, if you expect your divorce case to be prolonged or cause a lot of trauma, having an attorney can “lessen the load” and make life so much easier for you during this already difficult time. Here are some of the most important questions that you should ask a prospective attorney before you consider hiring them:
- Do you specialize in divorces? How many cases have you handled and have you been practicing for a long time in divorce cases? Is being a “certified family law specialist” important to you?
- What is your strategy for my case and how long do you believe it will take to resolve?
- Will I be able to get ahold of you if there is an emergency and not have to wait long for a reply?
- Will anyone else in your office be handling my case, and what experience do they have with such?
- How will you charge me? Do you also charge for the time I spend with other people in the office, such as other attorneys, paralegals, or secretaries? What is your rate and retainer up front?
- What other costs do you believe will be involved with this case? Will there be any costs relating to private investigations, forensic accountants, physicians, or psychologists? How will I be charged for these?
- What is your estimate of the total cost of this divorce on a realistic scale?
- Will you allow me to negotiate directly with my spouse?
- How do you predict that a judge will rule on our case, given the details and what you know from experience?
- How can I understand the tax effect of the decisions that I will have to make?
Reasons Why a Divorce Attorney Works For Your Case
There are many reasons why it may be necessary for a divorce attorney to handle your case rather than handling it on your own. On an emotional level, divorce attorneys can help keep tensions low in the middle of conflict. You never want to fight fire with fire – you want to handle things as calmly as possible and your legal representation can help you through these times. To go along with this, some divorces can be very complicated. There may be many financial aspects involved in the divorce as well as a spouse who is vindictive and may be out to take away from you rather than work with you. In some cases, there may be a history of abuse and the divorce attorney will be able to help you handle the tension from this.
As you can see, having a divorce attorney is a helpful element in any divorce. This is why you should consider hiring one of your own for your case. You can give us a call today so we can help you from the very start before things get too ugly or undesirable. At The Law Offices of Amy M. Montes, we understand how difficult divorce can be and we are willing to extend a helping hand.
