Choosing a Queens Divorce Lawyer
to handle your family law case is a very important decision. Below are
some important criteria that will help you find the right divorce
attorney.
Experience and focus
Any
divorce attorney you consider should have extensive experience handling
divorce cases in your area. An experienced divorce attorney will know
the tendencies of the various judges in your jurisdiction and should be
able to use this knowledge to your advantage. Additionally, the attorney
should primarily practice in the area of divorce law. People often hire
a lawyer who primarily practices in other areas, thinking that any
lawyer will do. However, divorce law is a very specialized field that
requires specific skills and experience in order to have the potential
to reach a successful conclusion.
Past Customer Testimonials
Perhaps
the best way to decide which divorce attorney to use for your divorce
case is to find out what former clients have said about that attorney.
While divorce is never an enjoyable process, some divorce attorneys are
more successful than others at meeting their clients' demands. If you do
not know a client of a particular divorce attorney, you should consider
asking the attorney for a list of clients you can contact who can
describe their experiences with the attorney. While client
confidentiality is important, any experienced divorce attorney should
have at least a few former clients who are willing to vouch for him or
her.
Barrier free
When
clients are dissatisfied with their divorce attorney, one of the most
common complaints is that they cannot communicate with the attorney. It
is very important that your divorce attorney is able to respond to your
phone calls, emails, and appointment requests in a timely manner. While
you can ask a divorce attorney about their office policies, this is
another area where you can best evaluate a divorce attorney by hearing
from former clients.
If
a former client of the attorney tells you that they found it very
difficult to contact the attorney, or that the attorney either did not
return calls or emails, or took days to do so, then you should
definitely steer clear of the attorney. Divorce can be an unpleasant and
frustrating process even under the best of circumstances. If you can't
reach your divorce attorney, or at least someone on his or her staff,
the frustration can increase exponentially.
Cost
When
you make your initial appointment with a divorce attorney, you should
ask about the consultation fee. Some attorneys offer a brief initial
consultation for free, but most experienced divorce attorneys charge
between $100.00 and $200.00 for a consultation, or their normal hourly
rate.
For
example, I charge a flat consulting fee of $100 regardless of meeting
length, with no additional hourly fees. Essentially, the consulting fee
was to "weed out" those who weren't serious about hiring me. Given that
my regular hourly rate is $200.00/hour and a typical consultation
usually takes about 90 minutes, I get a significant discount on my
consultation fee. Therefore, you should not forego interviewing a
particular attorney just for consulting fees.
During
the consultation process, it is important to have an honest discussion
with the prospective divorce attorney about fees and expectations.
Typically, an experienced divorce attorney will request a substantial
retainer upfront and will charge the attorney's hourly rate and fees
based on that fee. You should find out what the Queens Divorce Lawyer hourly
rate is, what the advance payment is, whether any portion of the
advance payment is refundable if unused, and how often you can expect to
receive an invoice detailing their hourly charges and expenses. You
also want to know how detailed the invoice is. Again, this is another
area where you can get great information from divorce attorney clients.
Comfortable
While
all of the above questions are important, there is one final question
you should ask yourself before hiring a divorce attorney. Are you
satisfied with this lawyer? Are you confident in his or her abilities?
If the answer isn't a resounding "yes," then you should keep looking.
Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not inspire
your confidence.
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