Saturday, April 26, 2008

Getting Legal Advice From Divorce Lawyers

By Francisco Segura



If you are seeking to employ a divorce lawyer then things have obviously gone wrong in your relationship; some guidelines on what to look for are below:

*Have successfully practiced this area of law for some time

*Know how to take the correct approach

*Be reliable

The best attorney to employ is one who, for at least half their time, is dealing with divorce cases and is fully skilled in mediation techniques. All this will be waste if you do not feel you can trust them, so look for a person you feel comfortable with.

Those attorneys who prefer mediation will look to solve problems by talking and not through the conflict based approach many attorneys wish to provide. To save time when you contact your divorce lawyer, keep conversations brief and to the point, which can be achieved by preparing what you need from them in advance.

Whether you intend to see them or speak on the phone, write everything down as this is the most efficient way to utilize your legal representative and keep a record of dates and times you spoke with them. Physical meetings will cost more so if an item can be dealt with by mail or on the phone this will save money.

Your divorce attorney is just a resource for legal matters so do not try to get them personally involved as that is not their function; if you need emotional support there are others who can help with this. Try always to stick to pertinent facts when speaking to your divorce lawyer, not general complaints about your spouse's behavior as this is just a waste of your money if use them as a sounding board.

Let your lawyer know from the start that you will be in charge of the case and they are there for legal advice and not as someone to lean on when things start getting rough. Your legal representative must be told up front that whilst his or her advice is essential, all decisions regarding the divorce will be made by you. Let them know that copies of any correspondence relating to the case will need to be sent to you along with any other information and if you contact them, to reply as quickly as possible.

There are instances when you may not actually need direct legal representation but may just wish to use the services of a lawyer for advice on legal aspects like a marital settlement. This means that a little research is necessary on your part but once you have completed this, it is much easier to contact a lawyer to ask them specific questions and how they see your case concluding. You may decide to have a divorce lawyer help with your marital settlement agreement, either to draft one or just to check over one you have made yourself then contact them if you get stuck or confused.


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