When you’ve decided that it is in your best interest to get a divorce, one of the next most important decisions is who you will hire to represent you. You’ll want a divorce attorney who is experienced and qualified to represent you, and you will want to make sure that you choose an attorney who charges reasonable fees. The law on divorce is constantly changing, so you want to be sure that your lawyer is up to date on the current laws. In some states there are no limits as to how much fees a lawyer may charge, while in other states there are restrictions as to how much he or she can charge. Your choice of lawyer will depend on how much you’re able to afford to spend, as well as on how much support you need from him or her during this difficult time.
There are a few ways for you to get the divorce attorney services you need. You can employ the services of a family lawyer who is specially trained in family law. Family lawyers are familiar with all the laws regarding child custody, spousal support, property division, and the ability of one spouse to seek alimony. Because they have so much expertise and knowledge about family laws, they will often be able to find all the fees you’re entitled to as well as providing support during this very difficult time.
Another way to obtain divorce lawyers is to contact local Bar Associations. These organizations can recommend local divorce lawyers who specialize in family law. Bar Associations can also provide information regarding divorce lawyers and the divorce process in general. If you’re not a member of a bar association, however, you can still get a great divorce attorney service by searching online for divorce lawyers who are members of local bar associations.
Of course, the least expensive divorce attorney is a free-lance attorney. These are usually the cheapest lawyers because they do not have to pay to advertise their services. A free-lance divorce attorney may not have as many divorces to defend, but they will have more practice handling contested issues and fewer clients. Contested issues include child custody, spousal support, visitation rights and retirement accounts. Unless you are a divorce lawyer who practices on a full-time basis, most contested issues will not require the full-time attention of a divorce attorney.
Divorce lawyers can also be beneficial if you are not represented by one party or the other. If one spouse wants to retain an attorney and the other does not, it is advisable to retain the services of an attorney who is affiliated with one party (usually the spouse filing for divorce) and the other party (the opposing spouse). Fees for these types of attorneys will be different depending on whether the attorney is working on a pro Bono basis or at an hourly rate. For example, if the divorce process is more complex than just one spouse challenging the other’s divorce, the opposing party may be entitled to retain an attorney at an hourly rate.
Another situation in which an attorney might be beneficial is when one party is challenging the fairness of the divorce process. Many times, the divorce process is made much more complicated when one spouse is trying to obtain assets that belong to the other spouse. In this case, it is often worth the expense to retain an attorney as they will be better equipped to argue for equitable distribution of the assets. If the divorce is uncontested, most states have an automatic stay in place that prevents the awarding of court ordered child support or spousal support unless the proceedings are resolved. For this reason, it is important to retain an attorney when attempting to resolve this type of dispute.