Lawyer - Client Relationship
Too many marriages end in divorce. The courts are clogged with divorce cases and do not (perhaps cannot) deal with family-law problems in a humane and efficient way. While politicians argue about how to improve the system, divorcing spouses and their children are stuck with it the way it is. No one ever wants to have to hire a divorce lawyer, but you owe it to yourself and your children to hire the best one you can find and afford.
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Finding the Right Lawyer for You:
- Listening to Your Instincts: For example, think about whether a lawyer made eye contact with you, and if not, whether this bothers you. Was the lawyer glib, dismissive, or callous?
- The Top Ten Qualities to Look for in a Divorce Lawyer: Once you have weeded out the undesirable lawyers, you can move into the next phase of selecting your lawyer.
Hiring the Divorce Lawyer:
- Reading the Contract: If the lawyer you're considering hiring didn't provide you with a copy of his or her standard contract at your interview, you should ask for one now.
- Understanding the Financial Terms: Be sure you understand the financial terms a lawyer is offering you. It comes as a shock to many legal customers when they learn that they are billed by the minute for talking on the phone to their lawyer and for their lawyer's talking on the phone to the other side's lawyer.
- Obtaining an Action Plan: Once your marital problems have risen to the level of a court case with lawyers involved, you will find yourself feeling like a passenger in a small rubber raft, floating with the current.
- Sticking With a Plan: A lawyer may have every intention of being assertive, aggressive, and in control of the litigation and then, for whatever reason, fail to deliver on that promise.
Communication With Your Divorce Lawyer:
- Tell the Whole Truth and Provide Requested Information Promptly: If your lawyer asks you for information, he or she will be stalled until you provide it.
- Have a Legitimate Reason to Call Your Lawyer: The stress of a divorce and especially the behavior of your spouse can put you on edge.
- Keep a Written Record of Everything: Events will occur that you might think are legally significant but are not.
- Keep Your Account Current: Legal representation is not something you are entitled to. It is a service you must pay for, just as you pay for food, clothing, utilities, and car repairs.
- Be Polite: Common sense tells you to be polite to your lawyer, but as your case goes on, you may find this difficult.
Common Client Mistakes:
- Having Unclear Objectives: One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to go through the litigation without knowing what you hope to accomplish.
- Succumbing to the Other Side's Mental Engineering: Another common mistake you must not make is to allow the other side's head games to bother you.
- Becoming Discouraged: Now that you have read something about how a divorce progresses, you can probably see the similarities between a divorce and many of life's other challenges.
- Using Your Lawyer as a Therapist: Many times, you will be tempted to talk to your lawyer about your personal problems, particularly since he or she is right in the middle of the action.
- Expecting to Get Justice by Going to Court: Many people naively believe that, if they can just get the judge to listen to what their ex did, the judge will make things OK. Well, it doesn't work that way. Why not?
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Find Divorce Professionals:
Useful Online Tools
- Divorce Case Management Software - Designed to empower the lawyer-client relationship. Gain the advantage with good organization and communication.
- 3StepNegotiationTM - You will be surprised how easy it is to resolve your disputes through our innovative Divorce Negotiation CenterTM. It's FREE. Give it a try.
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Suggested Reading
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How to Hire the Right Divorce Lawyer No one wants to hire a divorce lawyer, but the fact is that millions of men and women go through divorce and custody proceedings every year. Many people believe that any lawyer can and will protect them from the potential nightmare of a domestic lawsuit. In reality, the lawyer can become part of the nightmare instead. You owe it to yourself-and your kids-to hire the best lawyer possible.
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Suggested Reading
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Should You Switch Lawyers? And How to Do It! This book supplies the knowledge you will need to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your divorce lawyer and guide you in making an educated decision on whether or not it is in your best interests to switch to a new lawyer.
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