The Five Questions You Should Ask Your Divorce Lawyer

When hiring a divorce attorney, feelings such as insecurity, intimidation, and uncertainty often bring unnecessary stress to an already difficult situation. Knowing what to ask your divorce attorney can ease tensions and make you feel more comfortable trusting your divorce lawyer with sensitive information during your divorce.

What Do You Need to Know About Me?

It is daunting to explain the reasons for a divorce, which may include years of personal history, during a one or two-hour meeting with an attorney. There are often many details that clients don’t know how to begin to address. Thankfully, your attorney will know what to do. They will be able to guide you through an informative and valuable conversation about what needs to happen to move forward.

How Can I Save Money During My Divorce?

Although much of what your divorce will cost is decided by your spouse’s attorney, your own attorney can discuss valuable strategies and help you plan for the expenses of the divorce ahead of time. Many factors come into play when determining overall costs, such as how easily spouses can cooperate if there are children involved, or how complicated the details of the divorce are in general.

If you can communicate effectively with your spouse, it is a good idea to discuss the details of your settlement so that you do not have to pay your lawyer to do it with you. Sometimes, this is not possible, but when spouses can take care of details outside of a lawyer’s office, they will spend less money overall.

What is the Divorce Process?

Every divorce is uniquely tricky, even when it goes as well as it can. The level of cooperation is a good indicator for how easily the divorce will go, but the length and complications of the process will still be somewhat unpredictable. Still, most divorces follow a usual litigation process pattern. This process can include but is not limited to:

• Filing for divorce
• Serving or notifying the other party
• Gathering of information
• Arranging temporary orders to address child custody
• Managing distribution of assets and support
• Settling the divorce
• Attending a court hearing

When you first meet with your divorce lawyer, they will guide you through this entire process, as well as give you their opinion on how complicated or lengthy the process might be.

What Should I Do After This Meeting?

Some clients need to hire an attorney immediately, especially if their spouse has already done so. After your meeting, your attorney will likely give you a contract that defines how much you will pay for their work. They may need more information from you before they take on your case and usually require a deposit to retain their services. Be sure to clearly understand the details of what your lawyer needs from you to move forward with your divorce to protect yourself from lost time.

Will You Tell Me About Yourself?

It is essential to trust your divorce attorney’s ability to fight for you. They will have a great deal of influence on how the divorce process goes for you. Especially if your divorce has specific complications or circumstances, it will serve you to find an attorney that is confident in their ability to help you and understands what is and isn’t essential to you. Like every doctor has a bedside manner, attorneys have philosophies and tendencies regarding how to interact with and protect their clients. You want to make sure your attorney’s methods align with what you see as professional and effective. It will ensure that you get the results that you deserve.

Contact an Ohio Divorce Lawyer at The VanNoy Firm

The Ohio personal injury lawyers at The VanNoy Firm are here to help you determine the best legal solution for your unique situation. Contact us today to learn more about your legal options in a divorce.