Questions to ask a divorce lawyer

Preparing a list of questions to ask a divorce lawyer in the initial meeting will help you evaluate whether he or she is the right person to hire. Asking questions also gives the lawyer a chance to learn about your feelings and philosophy towards the case. A lawyer can also get to know you better based on the questions you ask. The amount of questions you can ask are virtually endless, as there are so many components to a divorce.

Don’t be afraid to ask hundreds of questions if that’s what it takes. Divorce lawyers will typically charge you for the first consultation meeting, so get as much from them as possible. Also, ask the same list of questions to each lawyer you interview. Otherwise, it will be difficult to measure who did the best.

The divorce lawyer should tell you about what's need in starting the divorce process, background, philosophy, fees, and help you better understand the whole process.

When getting to know their background, ask them about divorce cases they have handled before. How much experience do they have? How many of them resulted in a settlement outside of court? Have much familiarity do you have with the Family Court Judges? It’s key that they have experience in family law. Many lawyers have experience in several fields, but the only experience that matters here is with divorce cases.

Ask the divorce lawyer what their primary approach/strategy is for divorce cases. Do they encourage mediation? What do they believe in? By getting a feel for their core values and beliefs, it can give you a much better idea of whether they are the right person to represent you. Their philosophy needs to match yours in order for this arrangement to work.

What and how will you be charged? Find out what you can expect to pay. What is the retainer fee? This refers to how much you will have to pay up front. Other experts may be involved in your case, such as social workers, psychologists, actuaries, and appraisers. Will be you be charged for their services as well?

Be sure to ask if you will be contacted if the retainer fee gets used up. To illustrate, let’s say the retainer fee is $1000, and the lawyer charges $100 per hour. This fee will then only cover the first 10 hours the lawyer works. After that, you will be charged for every hour that lawyer works past this point. So it’s important to be aware of this.

Payments are not always arranged this way, but it’s important to be aware of the payment structure so you avoid getting charged way more than you expect.

Other questions to ask a divorce lawyer pertain to your understanding the process better. This could involve how you will communicate, when the best time is to contact them, the time frame of the case, and what steps are involved.

The following are a few resources online for do-it-yourself divorce filing if quotes are too expensive:

Findlegalforms.com provides divorce kits prepared by attorneys that include property settlement, alimony forms, premarital agreements, divorce petitions, and much more. You can get a package forms based on whether you have children or not, and the state you live in. This way, you get the papers you need based on your situation. The prices of these packages are very inexpensive. This site has a 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied.

Legalzoom.com is the priciest of the three, but for reason. They have a great reputation and create documents tailored to your situation. You will complete a questionnaire just to make sure that you qualify for an uncontested divorce. Then, you will fill out a detailed divorce questionnaire that will help them figure out what documents are needed. Once the documents have been created, they will be mailed to you. According to their website, 94% of their customers recommend them to their friends and family.

MyDivorceDocuments.com offers do-it-yourself divorce papers starting at a very low price. You start by selecting the state you are filing in, and once again select whether you have children or not. In addition to all the required papers, step-by-step guide by an attorney will be included to help you. The cost is more if you have children, but it’s still really low. If the forms are outdated, then they will send new ones free of charge.

Do your due diligence. Cover all aspects of the case, and leave no stone unturned.