Hiring a divorce lawyer involves multiple considerations, usually considered in one of the most stressful times of your life.
Connecicut divorce attorney Marissa Bigelli runs her practise, LadyLegalGroup as “Lady Divorce” and she writes about how to go about hiring a divorce attorney the right way.
The first issue, she says, is almost always money. So what should you do?
Money doesn’t grow on trees! And because divorce can greatly affect your finances, you might not see any possible way to afford a divorce lawyer. The fact of the matter is that there is no guarantee that a divorce lawyer will get you everything you want in the divorce.
However, there are ways to make sure that you hire an attorney that cares about your case and is going to do everything in his or her power to make sure that you make the right decisions concerning your divorce at an affordable cost.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just hire a divorce lawyer and be done with it. Not all divorce lawyers are the same. Some are dedicated and passionate, but some are mediocre. Some are affordable, while others are unreasonably expensive.
Free Consultation
Fortunately, there is one way that you can sort through the good, the bad, and the ugly at no cost to you. Before you hire a lawyer, you can meet for a free initial consultationto decide if he or she is the best lawyer for you.
Lawyers understand that hiring someone to represent you can be a difficult decision. For this reason, many lawyers offer a free consultation in which you can meet with a lawyer and discuss your case. At this time, you can explain the situation that you are in to the lawyer and ask any questions that you have.
A good lawyer will be interested in your case and start planning out a strategy for your bankruptcy during this initial consultation. If you want to know how experienced the lawyer that you are meeting with is, ask him or her about cases that he or she has worked on in the past. Also consider client testimonials when trying to determine a lawyer’s knowledge and experience.
If a particular lawyer’s website has a page dedicated to positive feedback from former clients, or if you are referred to a lawyer by a friend, chances are that that lawyer is experienced and dedicated.
Hidden Fees?
Another great thing about a free consultation is that you can ask about the lawyer’s fee during the meeting. If you ask about fees and the lawyer says something like, “We can discuss that later”, be careful. You don’t want to get stuck paying any hidden fees.
If you meet with a lawyer that is upfront about costs, he or she probably doesn’t have any hidden fees and you can get a pretty good idea of what you will pay and if you can afford it. Some lawyers are also flexible about payments and payment method.
You also want to try to find a lawyer that charges a flat rate, as this means that you won’t have to pay by the hour. Instead, you just pay one fee for the whole process. This can cut down on costs.
Take advantage of free consultations. This will allow you to interview several lawyers until you find the one that will be the most helpful for the most affordable price. Following these tips can ensure that you hire the best divorce lawyer possible. Next week, I will discuss whom you should hire as your Connecticut divorce lawyer.
See: LadyLegal’s Blog
