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Checklist: Hiring a Family Law Attorney

Below is a checklist of the traits and characteristics we believe are important for you to consider when hiring an attorney. Of course, these also represent our experience and values in representing clients. You should know what to expect in your consultation. We hope you find this guide helpful to you as you consider if Hargrave Family Law is the right fit for you.

This checklist for hiring a divorce lawyer lays out the crucial questions to ask family law attorney, guides you in choosing a family law lawyer and explains how to hire a custody attorney, shows how to interview divorce lawyer using smart family law consultation tips, covers evaluating divorce attorney fees, warns about red flags family lawyer, walks through preparing for attorney meeting, and aids in finding best family lawyer near me.

Are you and the Attorney Compatible?

When you are meeting with the lawyer, how does the lawyer make you feel? This is important because your relationship with your lawyer is going to be a very personal relationship. You will be sharing the intimate details of your life – your mistakes (we all make them), your disappointments, your fears, the skeletons in your family’s closet. Plus, you need to have confidence in the advice this person will be giving you. After all, that is what you are paying for.

Watch out for lawyers who make you feel:

• Anxious
• Defensive 
• Stupid
• Uninformed
• Unheard
• Talked at
• Less Than 
• Just a Number

Instead, look for a lawyer who makes you feel:

• Secure
• Prepared
• Calm
• Empowered
• Listened to
• Valued
• Hopeful
• Important

What is The Lawyer and Firm’s Reputation?

Reputation in the legal community matters. While many lawyers tout the awards they’ve won and the accolades they’ve received, only some of these awards actually matter. For example, the Martindale Hubbell A-V rating is a stringent peer review process where lawyers actually rate other lawyers in detail according to their ethics and ability. An A-V rating is the highest rating a lawyer can receive. Texas Super Lawyers is another highly regarded rating system, as well as Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms. You may also want to review the attorney’s online reviews through AVVO, Google, etc. Of course, keep in mind that in family law, opposing parties typically don’t like the opposing firm, and there is no way to stop them from giving negative reviews. But researching an attorney across all these platforms will give you a good idea if they are well-respected in the legal community. Lastly, many lawyers have client testimonials on their website. We encourage you to research Hargrave Family Law, as we are proud of the reputation we have built.

Who is The Lawyers Ideal Client?

Lawyers are people, too, and we have preferences. When you are consulting with a lawyer, it is okay to ask them to tell you about their ideal client and ideal type of case. If they’ve given any thought to this topic, then they should be able to give you a well thought out response that will let you know whether or not your case might be a good fit for both of you. The two of you will be working very closely, and you want to feel confident your attorney is going to want to work on your case for you. That is why we believe the consultation is crucial to the hiring process.

What are The Lawyer’s Values and Philosophy?

Listen to how the lawyer intends to handle your case, and determine whether their values align with your values. Law firms, and even individual lawyers, vary in their philosophy about how they handle client matters. Some law firms believe that divorce and custody cases are all about the fight. We believe divorce and custody cases are all about your family. We have found that an unnecessarily adversarial process benefits no one except the lawyers. When we can proceed in a collaborative manner, where we look to resolve the issues without the undue destructive emotional and financial costs, we do so. Of course, there are times when the fight is necessary, and we are experienced and prepared to handle complex litigation cases.
We believe a client that has been well-informed and educated about the process, and the consequences of various options, can better understand the importance of keeping the big-picture in mind. Empowering our clients with knowledge every step of the way is an important part of our mission at Hargrave Family Law.

How Experienced is The Law Firm?

It is important to know whether your law firm is experienced in handling your type of case. If your case is a simple case, you do not need to pay the higher expenses of a more seasoned attorney, especially in a law firm where there are more experienced lawyers overseeing your case. In a more complex case, you will want to make sure you have a team who is equipped to handle your case. Board Certification may be one indication that your attorney has in depth experience. In order to achieve Board Certification in Family Law, an attorney has passed a stringent exam after qualifying by handling a certain number of trials (including a jury trial), mediations and an appeal. Of course, there are many other indicators of experience, as well. Ask your lawyer to describe his or her experience in handling some of the issues you anticipate being present in your case. Ask what their plan would be, what your options are, and who will be working on your case.

Does The Law Firm Value a Team Approach?

Are you hiring an individual lawyer, or are you hiring a team? At Hargrave Family Law, we believe a team approach provides the most cost-effective and streamlined approach to helping our clients with family law issues. You are not paying lawyers to do administrative or paralegal work, because we have a skilled team of administrative and para-professionals who excel at doing that work well at a cost savings for you. We share case updates with our entire team weekly, and our clients get the benefit of strategic input from a team with diverse range of experience.

Do They Help You Understand Your Options?

The fact is that most family law cases will settle. Starting off in a high conflict acrimonious adversarial lawsuit is not always the best way to achieve your outcomes, though there certainly may be situations where it is necessary. The attorney you hire should know how to guide you through the process in a manner that will benefit your family the best, and should explain all of the options available to you. Those options may range from Collaborative Divorce to a full-blown jury trial. At Hargrave Family Law, we know that this is your case, your family, and you need to be able to make fully informed decisions that you understand fully.

Do You Understand The Cost and Fee Structure?

It is important that you understand at the outset how the law firm will bill you for their time in your case. Some law firms will tout a “flat fee” divorce – but when you review their flat fee contract, you discover that there are many additional costs that are not factored into the “flat fee” you are paying. It’s like flying on a budget airline, when you get hit with extra fees for bags, window seats, and oxygen. People mistakenly believe that they will save money by shopping for the least expensive divorce option. Unfortunately, these are the same people who have to hire a really expensive lawyer to undo the mess that their “budget divorce” created. An experienced firm will be focused on helping you through this process effectively and efficiently, and ultimately, that will be a tremendous cost savings in the long run.

Also, if you pay a flat fee, and the work is less than what you would have paid for hourly, the attorney keeps that money anyway. With an hourly structure, the attorney only gets paid for what they’ve earned, plus expenses. Hargrave Family Law charges by the hour, and at the end of your case, any unused funds in your retainer account will be refunded to you.