Divorce is always contentious and emotionally distressing, difficult at best. Making decisions impacting your life, future, and children is challenging. There are many legal and financial matters to be resolved, with the best interests of your family often not the primary motivation for one or more parties involved. And let’s face it, anyone attempting to divorce today faces monumental challenges due to constantly changing legislation and judicial interpretation.
You want an attorney with experience who will help you resolve these issues: child custody, child visitation, and child support; alimony; property division of assets; prenuptial agreements; and paternity issues. Having a team of experienced divorce lawyers in Arizona on your side makes it possible to reach agreements without going to trial, saving you both time, money, and anxiety. Read to learn how to hire a good divorce attorney.
Conduct Search
You can search by name, geographic location, or type of law (e.g., divorce attorney). If you want referrals from friends or family members who have hired lawyers, ask them where they went and if they were happy with their experience. If possible, consult with previous clients as well; these are often great sources for feedback about how satisfied people were with their representation.
Next, check their website; it should contain information about what types of cases they handle and testimonials from previous clients who were pleased with their representation. It will give you insight into what kind of service quality level will likely match your needs when choosing a divorce attorney.
Schedule Interviews
Schedule interviews with attorneys. You should only conduct these interviews in person, as phone conversations are less effective at giving a true sense of someone’s personality and demeanor. Before each interview, prepare a list of questions that will help you gauge their experience and background; this list can include the following:
- What is your experience with divorce cases? How many have you worked on?
- Do you have any specialties or areas of focus?
- What types of payment plans do you offer clients?
- Do you have any philosophy or approach when it comes to divorce law?
Consider Experience
Look into the background of each lawyer that comes highly recommended by your friends or family members. You want to ensure that this person has been practicing law for at least five years because longer experience leads to better skills in most cases (though there are exceptions).
It’s also essential to find an attorney who has experience working with other clients in similar situations as yours. An experienced lawyer understands how divorce proceedings work, what issues are likely to arise, and what solutions have worked best in similar cases. This knowledge will help them advocate for your best interests during negotiations or litigation.
If a lawyer does not have experience with your particular case type (i.e., child custody), they may not know what issues may arise during your case, which could lead to problems later on.
Check Track Record and Firm Reputation
When looking for a divorce attorney, you want to ensure you’re hiring someone with a track record of success. You can determine how many cases your potential lawyer has resulted in a favorable outcome. Find out if these cases were tried before judges and what results in those trials produced.
A good divorce attorney will have an established reputation within the community and among other lawyers. You can check this out by asking to see if anyone has heard of them or has any experience with them (good or bad).
Consider Cost
A good divorce attorney will tell you their charges upfront and provide a firm quote before they begin working on your case. They should also offer a detailed breakdown of expenses such as filing fees and court costs so that there aren’t any surprises when it comes time to pay the bill.
There are ways to determine how much an attorney will charge you for their services. You can look up their rates online, or you could call different attorneys’ offices and ask them what the cost of their services will be.
Most divorce attorneys charge anywhere from $75 to $450 per hour. Some may offer flat fee arrangements or other pricing models that make their fees more affordable than traditional hourly rates.
When hiring a divorce attorney, you want one who is experienced and has a proven track record of success. But you also want someone affordable.
If you want a divorce attorney who is experienced and knowledgeable, the best way to find one is by researching their background and interviewing them. The attorney you hire will work closely with you over a long period, so they must have the right experience for your case.
