Family Law

Hiring a Divorce Lawyer :: The Don'ts

By J. Benjamin Stevens

Divorce involves a series of important decisions that will impact the rest of your life.  One of the first, and most important, decisions that you must make is which attorney to hire to represent you.  There are several things that you should and shouldn't do when making this decision.  Today, we'll take a look at the "don'ts":

The Don'ts:

• Don't hire the first lawyer you meet with.  Make sure that the lawyer you pick to represent you is the one that will best serve your needs.
• Don't assume that because you don't have children or huge assets or because the decision is mutual that a good lawyer isn't necessary.  Even under the best circumstances, divorce is the dissolution of a legal agreement and you need to ensure that your rights are protected.
• Don't refuse to hire a 'good' lawyer because you fear making your spouse angrier and don't seek to hire "a real SOB" because your spouse is so difficult to deal with.  You should hire an attorney based on your own needs not based on your spouse's personality.
• Don't pick an attorney with whom you cannot communicate or get along with.  You and your attorney should work together toward the same goal, not battling each other along the way.

Source: "Considering Divorce?" by Donna Ferber, LPC, LADC, published at her blog.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on February 21, 2011 (boomark / email).