ASK QUESTIONS WHEN MEETING WITH A DIVORCE ATTORNEY

This is part of my series on What To Do When You First Need To See A Matrimonial Attorney You need not be afraid to ask as many questions as possible even if you think they are stupid ones. You life is on the line both financially and emotionally and you need to ensure that you are going to be protected the best that you can be under the circumstances. A matrimonial litigation is an extremely emotional proceeding for one or both litigants. It is important for you to know what your expectations are from your prospective attorney and be clear about them with him or her. You always need to ensure that you open the lines of communication so that they know what to expect from you and vice versa. The more informed your attorney is about your case, the more informed the answers will be to your questions. Take notes and don't assume you'll remember what the attorney is saying during the interview. Bear in mind you are going to be inundated with information and it is very helpful to be able to refer back to your notes at a later time in order to be able to digest all of the particulars from the meeting. Remember, there is always an end in sight and you will ultimately divorce based upon the rules of court which, if timelines for cases will ultimately be over, whether you settle your case or go to trial. Keep in mind, resolving matters in a timely and expeditious fashion is always less expensive and less emotional for you. You always have the right to enter mediation, which is a method of dispute resolution involving a neutral third party who tries to help reach a mutually agreeable solution, but whose decision is not binding. You also have the right to go to arbitration which is the same concept, but it is the decision that the arbiter makes is binding. These options are paid by both litigants and can either have attorneys present or not. Either way you proceed, thinking about your case before interviewing prospective attorneys can ultimately lead you in the right direction and give you a guideline as to where your case ultimately will end. The more interest you take in your case, the better result you will have due to the fact that you have informed yourself about the procedure of getting divorced and what you ultimately want to make yourself whole.