When it comes to delicate matters like divorce filings and child custody agreements, you want to know that you’re working with an attorney capable of handling your situation with the care it deserves. Follow these guidelines when looking for a Houston divorce attorney to ensure you find a competent legal professional who will offer you support and guidance during this stressful time.
7 Tips for Finding a Quality Family Law Attorney
1. Ask Your Friends to Recommend a Houston Divorce Attorney
While you may feel self-conscious asking your friends or loved ones to suggest a lawyer, if you’re brave enough to ask around, you might be surprised how many of them have been where you are now. Although you’ll still want to do your due diligence learning more about any candidate you’re considering, receiving recommendations is a great place to start.
Whether your friend’s experience with an attorney was positive or negative, their feedback can help you establish a list of potential candidates. If your friends and family don’t have recommendations for you, consider talking to professionals in your life who are likely to interact with divorce lawyers, such as psychologists or accountants.
2. Take a Peek at Their Reviews
There are numerous platforms where you can check potential candidates’ reviews to get an idea of how happy previous clients have been with their service. So before making consultation appointments, take a quick peek through the reviews of any lawyers you’re considering hiring. While reviews aren’t infallible, they can provide valuable insight, especially when numerous reviews share similar criticisms or accolades.
You’ll be looking for lawyers with moderate to high positive reviews. A few negative reviews are expected, but beware of lawyers with excessive complaints about the same issue. However, you’ll also want to be wary of attorneys with nothing but glowing reviews since they may use dishonest methods to boost their ratings.
3. Schedule Several Consultations
When you’re overwhelmed with your current situation, it can be hard not to settle for the first lawyer you find when searching “Houston divorce attorney” online. However, since you and your attorney will interact regularly and work together throughout your filing, you want to ensure the lawyer you choose is the right fit for you.
If your case doesn’t demand immediate representation, schedule several consultations. Meeting with multiple lawyers will allow you to choose the lawyer who is the most compatible with your personality. In addition, since family law often involves sensitive situations, you’ll want to be sure the lawyer you decide to work with has a pleasant demeanor and puts you at ease.
4. Select a Lawyer Who Specializes in Family and Divorce Law
By the time where your situation has escalated to the point of needing a lawyer, the stakes are high. Issues like child custody, child support, and divorce filings are all complex and should be handled by a lawyer specializing in family and divorce law.
Choosing to work with a lawyer unfamiliar with the intricacies of divorce and family law could result in you losing valuable assets or, worse, ending up with an unfair custody arrangement. When your family’s future is at risk, you need a lawyer who is current on all the laws applicable to your situation and able to negotiate effectively to secure custody and assets on your behalf.
5. Find a Lawyer Who Is Accessible
It doesn’t matter how skilled your attorney is if you can’t reach them when it counts. Throughout this process, you’ll need to discuss your situation with your lawyer, so you’ll need to work with someone whose schedule can align with yours.
Although many lawyers complete consultations and meetings via phone and video chat, there may be times when you’ll need to meet in person. Working with a local lawyer will benefit you on those occasions since you won’t have to travel for meetings. Connect with an experienced Houston divorce attorney to make the process of filing for divorce less stressful and to find out more about how they can help you and your family navigate this challenging time.
6. Check Your Lawyer’s History
Before arranging a consultation with a lawyer, you’ll want to be sure they are in good standing with the State Bar. Visit the State Bar website and search for the names of all the lawyers you’re considering. This search will allow you to see if they are in good standing or if they have had disciplinary action taken against them due to unethical behavior.
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Holding back questions will only keep your lawyer from providing you with the help you need. That means if your attorney uses a term you don’t know or there’s an aspect of the filing you don’t understand, feel free to speak up. Your lawyer will want to ensure you are informed about every part of your case, and they’ll be able to break down complicated legal concepts into more digestible pieces.
Remember, a competent lawyer doesn’t expect you to understand legal jargon or be completely aware of what to expect while filing for divorce. They know their job as a legal professional is to look out for your best interest and make challenging legal concepts easier to understand.
Don’t entrust your family law needs to just any attorney. Instead, by following these best practices, find a trustworthy legal professional to handle your divorce and child custody case.
