4 Questions To Ask Your Family Divorce Lawyer On Your First Appointment

Getting married is almost every person’s dream. And when the special day comes, people get into it with hope and anticipation that things will work out as planned. Of course, you’d want to spend the rest of your life with the person you love the most.  

However, since life is full of uncertainties, it’s unfortunate that you may not get to spend the rest of your life with the person you married. Issues like constant arguments, infidelity and lack of commitment, and poor communication may make it impossible for you to co-exist under the same roof.  

When things don’t pan out as planned, you need the help of a divorce lawyer. Thus, consult a legal organization or firm like Simple Divorce. They have experts to help you determine the next legal steps to take. Read on for some important questions that you should ask a divorce attorney on your first appointment. 

1. Can You Tell Me About Your Professional Background? 

When meeting an attorney for the first time, you need to have an idea or information about whom you’re interacting. You must remember that the professional background of the lawyer you choose will play a significant role in determining your case’s fate.   

In addition to their name, you can ask your family divorce lawyer about their experience and examples of divorce cases they have handled. It will help you in gauging whether the professional has the professional capacity to handle your case. Ideally, it would help if you ascertained that your lawyer is a good fit for your specific case before you commit to working with them. 

2. What Information Do You Want From My Side? 

Clients often struggle to break the ice when they meet with their attorneys for the first time. But, when you ask this question, the lawyer will start the conversation for you. Some of the details that the lawyer may ask you to provide include:  

• The reason why you want a divorce?
• Personal information: Your name, your spouse’s, your children’s name, your and your spouse’s home address, age, salary, and place of work
• It’s also essential to disclose when and where you got married, whether you’ve been married before, and if you still live with your spouse.
• What are your goals for the case, such as getting child support, alimony payments, custody, and how you’d want the property to be divided.
• Whether there was abuse and adultery in the relationship and if you were the perpetrator or victim.

3. What Expectations Should I Have During The Whole Divorce Process? 

Going through a divorce is different for every individual. Whether the couple has sorted out their underlying issues or not determines the divorce’s success and duration. Their level of cooperation affects the process, too. The truth is that the whole divorce process can be extremely draining. It’s even worse if it’s a contested one.    

The family divorce attorney will take you through the things that may happen. These include:  

• Filing for the divorce petition in court and how the whole procedure is done
• Asking for temporary court orders like child support
• Filing the ‘proof of service document’ to show that you’ve met all the statutory requirements
• Third-party mediation if you haven’t resolved all your issues with your partner
• Settlement negotiation
• Undergoing a divorce trial if negotiations fail
• Final verdict

The essence of having this information in mind is to enable you to prepare rather than being caught off-guard psychologically. 

4. What’s Next After this Meeting? 

After you’ve finished discussing all the relevant things needed for the first appointment, then you can ask for the step that you’ll take next. Ideally, this means you’re satisfied with the information the lawyer has given you and are confident that the lawyer will do a good job.  

Before you end your meeting, you’ll have to chart the way forward. You may either agree to file for a divorce immediately or wait for a few months before doing it. Your lawyer may also ask you to deposit some amount(retainer) before starting the process.  

Also, the lawyer can ask for more relevant information that they may have forgotten to ask you at the beginning. Before you leave that place, ensure that you’ve asked the lawyer whether they need any other things from you. After that, you’ll be ready to take the next step. 

Conclusion 

Professional guidance is quite fundamental when you’re filing for a divorce. You may not know where to start when you first meet your family lawyer for the first appointment. One question to help quickly start the conversation is to ask them to tell you about themselves. You’ll then be able to ask the other questions highlighted above. A successful first time with your lawyer will help the other remaining legal processes run smoothly. 

Author Bio 

Thomas R. Goodman is a graduating law student. He posts on his blog and does guest posting about legal matters when he finds free time from his studies. When not writing, he’s playing video games on his gaming consoles.