How to Find a GOOD Divorce Lawyer
Let's face it. Not all lawyers are created equal. There are awesome lawyers, mediocre lawyers, and crappy lawyers. Obviously, you want to find a good lawyer to represent your interests.
Some people simply open up the yellow pages, contact the first listing they see, and go with that lawyer. That may be the quickest way to find a lawyer, but not a smart way. You may end up being stuck with a lawyer you don't like, then you either have to stick with them or go to another lawyer, and lose all the money you paid to the first one.
When looking for a divorce lawyer, the first thing you want to do is ask around for referrals. With the divorce rate so high, you have to know some friends, relatives, acquanitances, co-workers, etc. who have gone through a divorce. Ask them if they were satisfied with their attorney and who their attorney was. You will get some advice on the good and not so good lawyers around your town.
You can also do online research. Search for divorce attorneys in your area. They may have websites. You can look over their website and get an idea about their practice. You may find out information from their website to save you time in having to call and ask.
Now, open your yellow page book and look in the Attorney section. In the beginning there should be some numbers you can call that give referrals. Call a number and get some referrals.
Then look under the divorce attorney section and pick a few listings that interest you.
Now, you should have a list of several different attorneys in your area.
Some lawyers offer a free consultation, while others will charge. I know of a lawyer that charged a $25 consultation fee and another charged $250 just for a consultation and another one gave free no obligation consultations. You want to be clear on what the consultation fee is before you go.
If you want to save money, then definitely go for the free consultations. Paying consultation fees can really be a waste. Start calling the numbers for the lawyer's offices and ask basic questions. Here are the first two questions you need to ask. If you have any other questions, ask them too.
1- Do you charge a consultation fee? What is it?
2- What do you charge for an uncontested and contested divorce.
After you find out who offers free consultations, then pick a few of them and schedule a consultation. At the meeting, tell them your situation and see what advice they offer. After meeting with the lawyers, you should know who you like and who you don't like. You may feel a strong connection with a certain lawyer. Go with the one you feel most comfortable with.
If you are on a low income, then you can get legal represenation in your divorce for free. All states have a legal aid which provides lawyers to low income people. The legal aid program has guidelines. They only take certain types of cases, which include divorce and your income must fall below a certain limit. You must apply for the program and prove your income to be represented.
The advantage to this is obviously you don't have to pay for a lawyer's services, but the disadvantages are, you don't get to choose your lawyer. So if you have a lousy lawyer, you're stuck with him/her. Also, you may have to wait quite a while for legal help, depending upon how busy the legal aid lawyers are in your area.
