So, you have decided to get a divorce.
If you have children, considerable assets/debts, or a marriage of over 10 years (which the law considers a long-term marriage), finances permitting, retain an attorney. Why? Keep in mind, child custody and support orders alone, last until the children are emancipated.
Assets accumulated during marriage are important to restart or remake your life. Similarly, debt will prohibit you from this unless you can discharge it into bankruptcy. If you are dealing with a long-term marriage, each spouse theoretically has a long-term obligation, possibly until they pass, toward the other spouse for spousal support.
The receiving spouse has “given up” years of his/her life towards the marriage and feels he or she should be compensated. Restarting another family may be challenging given the existing spousal support burden.
All these issues are IMPORTANT but tricky and often overlap. You want an attorney who will get through the divorce, child custody/support, paternity, or domestic violence process in one piece, so you can move on in your life.
Given extreme emotions, it is often hard for a party to have any hope. Find the right attorney to help you through this challenging time. Interview attorneys to get a feel for what family law attorneys are out there.
Definitely avoid the expensive, high-rise offices. If the attorney is in a skyscraper office, with a view of the ocean, you may assume someone is paying for that décor-YOU.
Often you can find a knowledgeable, and experienced attorney at a reasonable cost without the expensive overhead. It is good to find one with at least 4-5 years of experience or has access to more seasoned attorneys, as it takes years of experience to gain the required skillset to be a good family law attorney.
Check online reviews. Although Yelp and Google reviews are not always legitimate, online reviews are a data point. Are there reviews on the attorney or firm? The more reviews the more meaningful the data point. Of course, a family law attorney cannot make every client happy. Clients often become unhappy, and it is hard for the attorney to turn the case around or please the client. So, reviews must be taken with a grain of salt. If the trend of the reviews is positive, then the trend is your friend. Also, definitely find an attorney you connect with.
