Making the decision to get a divorce is never easy. It can be an emotional and confusing time, and it’s important to have the right support system in place. One of the most important decisions you will make during this process is choosing the right divorce attorney. This person will be responsible for representing your interests during the divorce proceedings, so it’s crucial to find someone you can trust. In this blog post, we will discuss how to find the right divorce attorney for you and what to look for when making your decision.
Local Experience
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a divorce attorney in Texas. First, it’s important to find someone who is experienced in handling divorces in your county. While every county in the State is subject to the Texas Family Code; the procedures, judges, opposing counsels, and court clerks in each county will have their own unique characteristics. Therefore, it’s important that your attorney has experience trying cases in the county where your case is set for trial. Your attorney is going to be much more successful in your case if they know the judges, if they have a good relationship with the court clerks, and, especially, if they have a good working relationship with the other attorneys that practice in the county. Getting along well with the opposing attorney in your case is probably the single most important factor in determining whether your case is settled quickly and at a reasonable price or if it becomes an expensive, litigious mess.
Family Law Focus
Second, you’ll want to make sure that your attorney exclusively handles divorce and family law cases. Many attorneys try to take on criminal cases, personal injury cases, civil litigation cases, and family law cases on top of all that. While these folks might be excellent attorneys, there’s just not enough time in a day to develop the family law expertise, nurture connections with family law judges and attorneys, and understand the county-by-county nuances across different family law courts to be able represent you effectively. Therefore, make sure your attorney is an expert in family law with several years of practice under their belt. To find out more about an attorney’s practice areas, check out their website or their Avvo profile. Avvo is a good overall source of information about attorneys as it includes attorney ratings, number of years in practice, and lists their areas of practice as well.
Personal Fit
Next, you’ll want to make sure that you find an attorney who is a good fit for you personally. This means finding someone you can communicate with easily and who understands your goals for the divorce. If you want to remain on good terms with your ex-spouse or if you want to make sure you don’t spend thousands of dollars in court fees, the last thing you want to do is hire a bulldog attorney who will go straight to court without even trying to settle the case. You’ll want an attorney that is a skilled negotiator and has extensive mediation experience. Similarly, if you know your spouse is hiding assets, is not likely to give you your fair share in an agreed settlement or has already hired their own bulldog; then you’ll want someone who is willing and able to defend your interests in court. In either case, you’ll want to make sure that your attorney shares your mindset about the case and has the experience to succeed using whichever strategy is best for you and your specific situation. Therefore, make sure to ask your prospective attorney what their general approach is for divorce cases. Do they generally settle out of court or do they spend a lot of time litigating in court? Ask them how many cases they’ve mediated. Finally, ask them if they know the opposing attorney and if they have a good relationship with them. If so, you’re much more likely to be able to settle your case out of court, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in court and attorneys fees.
Communication
Last but not least, communication is key in any attorney-client relationship. You want to make sure that you are hiring a lawyer who will keep you updated on the status of your case and who will respond to your questions and concerns in a timely manner. Be sure to ask about the lawyer’s preferred method of communication (e.g., email, phone, text) and how often they typically communicate with clients. Ideally, they’ll have a pre-defined communication plan that they use with their clients (and will share with you) that details who will update you and when and how you’ll get important information about your case like filings, court orders, and court dates. Above all, you’ll need to make sure that you’ll have contact with your attorney on a regular basis without being handed off to a paralegal or junior associate for every interaction.
Where to find an attorney
If you’re ready to start looking for a divorce attorney, there are a few places you can begin your search. You can ask friends or family members for recommendations, or you can look online for reviews of local attorneys and on attorney review sites like Avvo or Justia. You can also contact your state’s bar association for a list of recommended divorce attorneys in your area. Finally, you can also check us out at Alexandra Geczi, PLLC, a law firm focusing on divorce for women in Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties. Our attorneys have over 15 years of experience exclusively handling divorce and family law cases. We apply a collaborative approach to our cases in which we try to work with your spouse’s attorney to avoid lengthy court battles opting instead to settle cases out of court through negotiation, mediation, or collaborative law. Our deep family law expertise, knowledge of the area’s courts, and good working relationships with other attorneys ensure optimal outcomes for our clients while avoiding expensive litigation.
After meeting with a few divorce attorneys, you should have a good idea of which one is right for you. Choose the attorney you feel most comfortable with and who you believe will best represent your interests. Divorce is never easy but having the right attorney by your side can make the process a little smoother.