How to Find a Good Matrimonial/Family Law Attorney

As you are probably well aware, finding a good Matrimonial/Family Law Attorney (also known as Divorce Lawyers) is essential to ensure you get the settlement you want, not a settlement that ruins your life. A family can be ruined by a poor choice of lawyer. Many people who did not research and seek advice on how to find an experienced lawyer that specializes in Matrimonial/Family Law have found it regrettable.

Beware that a good divorce lawyer for one person’s divorce is not necessarily a good choice for yours. Every case is different.

Find a lawyer who specializes in divorce and in family law. A lawyer who specializes in divorce (and has done so for some time) will have a greater depth of experience and expertise than a lawyer who does not. This may seem obvious but unless you are aware that not all attorneys are knowledgeable of divorce and child support guidelines – you may find yourself in a settlement that you will be sorry for later on.To safeguard yourself from hiring a “divorce lawyer” who is, in fact, a general practitioner (lawyers can practice in any/several areas of the law they like) find a divorce lawyer who can prove that they are specialists in the field of matrominal law.

Find a matrimonial lawyer who has been practicing for some years and has practiced for many or most of these as a family law and divorce specialist.

Find a good matrimonial lawyer with extensive courtroom experience. Not all lawyers are good trial lawyers or have the familiarity with the Court system. A lawyer with courtroom experience will know whether or not it is in your best interests to go to Court. Even the most aggressive divorce attorney should be prepared to suggest an alternative to court when another option is more likely to succeed. Similarly, a divorce lawyer with a reputation for success through mediation should be prepared to “get tough” when necessary.In other words, a good lawyer is flexible with the skills to succeed either way. A lawyer like this is more likely to win the settlement you want. So, look for a divorce lawyer with a track record of success both in and out of Court.

Find a good lawyer for your particular situation. If you have pensions or investments, look for an attorney with financial expertise; if you have children, it will be important to find a lawyer with extensive experience in cases involving child custody and support issues. As many divorce cases do not involve children, many lawyers may have little experience on this front.

Find a lawyer that you feel comfortable with. Keep in mind that your life will become on open book and you have to feel comfortable explaining the circumstances leading up to your situation and, perhaps events happening during the case. Your divorce will be more difficult than it already is if you can’t speak freely and/or you and your lawyer are at odds about how it should be managed. You wouldn’t want to switch lawyers mid-divorce. Find a lawyer who is on the same page as you in terms of the way you would like to see your financial and custody issues resolved. Be up front right from the beginning.

For example, discuss if you think your divorce will be amicable or not? If you don’t think it will be amicable, do you think there is any hope that your spouse will be open to compromise and cooperation? Are you willing and/or able to afford a divorce case lengthened by conflict and, if you have children are you prepared to prolong a divorce which will affect them?

Last but certainly not least – retain a lawyer you like. You and your lawyer will need to meet, communicate and reach agreement on many points throughout your case and, if you and your lawyer don’t get along, the process will be more difficult than it already is. It is important to choose a lawyer who is someone you like and believe you can communicate well with. A lawyer with good interpersonal skills is also likely to get along with other people involved in your divorce, from secretaries to court judges.

The Good Guy Lawyer

When you think of a lawyer, sometimes we get an image of high powered men in flashy suits charging $300 an hour to talk legal talk that nobody understands but other lawyers.  And when we get those media images of lawyers in our heads, the idea of a lawyer who wants to use his or her specialized talent with the law and that extensive education they all have to have to practice law for community service work seems almost ridiculous.

It’s a good idea in all aspects of life not to let television or movie images of anyone affect reality very much.  The truth is there are thousands of lawyers who went into law for other reasons than to make money and run for governor.  In every city and town in the country, there are lawyers who work for very little to defend people who need help with the legal system try to get a fair shake in a system that seems to reward the wealthy and the influential.

Most of us know at least a few lawyers.  To be sure, there seems to be a lot of them.  But if you think about your friends who are lawyers, many have them have a strong sense of community service and a desire to use the privilege and education that has been given to them to benefit society.  It is a tradition that goes back for centuries in the legal profession.  A lawyer by definition is one who stands between the people and the government to try to help those who have been falsely accused or need an advocate to be treated fairly.

That attitude of responsibility to the community is reflected in the values of the Bar Association of America.  The Bar Association holds its members to a high standard of public responsibility and accountability.  And part of that sense of responsibility is using their talents and abilities as part of their community service.  So part of a lawyer’s commitment includes dedicated a certain amount of hours to the community to be offered as free legal assistance to those who cannot afford a lawyer otherwise.

Now to be fair, this is required by the American Bar Association of all lawyers on a state by state basis.  An average of 50 hours a year is required for a lawyer to continue to be a member of the Bar in good standing.  This is called “Pro Bono Publico” work (usually shorted to Pro Bono) which is Latin for “in the public good”.  But rather than see that as something negative, this reflects the values of the Bar Association and it sends a message to anyone who wants to hang out their shingle as a lawyer that being in service to the community is important and encouraged from the highest levels of the legal profession.

The attitudes of public responsibility don’t just end at the door of the Bar Association building.  Many lawyers give far more than their minimum requirements in free legal service to the community.  In every city and town in this country, you can find lawyers working side by side with doctors, dentists, construction people and professionals of every description to try and help out people who don’t have a lot to give back but just need that helping hand.

So let’s lay aside our prejudices about lawyers that we pick up from too many movies and television shows that only show the bad ones.  When we do that we will realize that lawyers are good neighbors, good family men and woman and really do care about giving back to the community just like you and I do.  Those are truly the good lawyers.