Are you in need of hiring a good family lawyer? But wondering how to find a good family lawyer? Mate, you are not alone here. There are hundreds of people daily looking for the best family lawyer to fight their cases.
You know why? Because only a good lawyer can help you reach the best outcome. Family lawyer deal with cases that involves divorce, marriage, child support, and other domestic cases.
Perhaps, you need a lawyer who will take your case seriously and take your case a better end. However, there are dozens of lawyers, but not all of them are equally capable.
So, here we come with a guide to find a good family lawyer to make things easier for you. There we go.
What does a Family Lawyer do?
A family lawyer deals with situations that include domestic relations. The condition involves divorce, child support, alimony, child custody, adoptions, surrogacy, paternity matters, and child protective proceedings.
Family law is a part of civil law that is separate from the criminal justice system. A family lawyer can be specialized in one or two of the above situations. No lawyer can be an expert in all the mentioned areas.
A lawyer who deals with divorce is likely to handle pre-nuptial agreements and separation agreements. Also, a lawyer who works with visitation is likely also to deal with child custody.
How to Find a Good Family Lawyer?
If you are going through legal family issues, you’ll likely want to hire a family lawyer. A lawyer who can recommend you on the best way to proceed. Here is a guide to help you find a good family lawyer. Take a look.
1. What Process Do You Want To Use?
The very first step toward finding a good lawyer is to know your interest. There are different processes of family law, including mediation, litigation, and collaborative family law. Decide which one to proceed with.
It will make your search easier as you’ll looking for a lawyer who practices that process. In a word, match the lawyer with the process.
2. What Kind of Legal Assistance Do You Need?
The purpose of hiring does matter. If you are filing for divorce, obviously, you won’t look for a lawyer who works on personal injury cases. Here it would help if you hire a family lawyer with experience in that particular field.
Also, if your case is severe and you are rich, look for an experienced lawyer. They can handle complicated cases. Or if you have a short marriage and you don’t have kids, a simple consultation would be good enough.
3. Do Your Research
Search for family law attorney in your state in Google or ask around to your family and friends. Make a list of few lawyers. Now use the internet to do some depth research on your shortlisted lawyers. You can check websites, social media sites, and news stories. Do check the online reviews, if available.
4. Narrow Down Your Choices
Once you have assembled all the required information, it’s time to narrow down your options. Your personal situation, financial state, and your view about the lawyer will help you make a list of one or two.
5. Contact Your Top Choices
Some lawyer offers a free consultation over the phone or email. If your selected lawyer also provides the same, then call them immediately. You may need to describe your situation at first. You can make a list of questions to ask them. Like;
- How longhas the attorney been practicing?
- What results are possible from your case?
- Does the lawyer charge for an in-person consultation?
- Does he/she ever handle the case like yours?
- Who will be handling your case?
- Can the lawyer provide a reference from their previous client?
- What documents to bring during the in-person meeting?
6. Make an Appointment
Call the lawyer and arrange a meeting. If the lawyer mentions what to bring, make sure to bring all the documents. You can ask a few more questions and check how the lawyer responds.
7. Make a Decision
Finally, it’s time to take the final decision. If you are satisfied with the lawyer’s response, it means this lawyer is right for you. A good lawyer will not make you feel stupid. So trust your feeling and make a decision.
Conclusion
So you know how to find a good family lawyer. Note that you’ll be hiring a family lawyer for legal cases. You have to use your head and go with your gut.
Thanks for helping me find a suitable family lawyer for my case. My husband and I are going through the process of divorce, and I wanted someone to guide me through this legal process and have full custody of my children. With that, I shall follow your tip to do some background research on the lawyers in our state that specialize in family law, and then consider reading online reviews.