How to find the best divorce lawyer
Breaking up is never easy but what do you do when your ex-partner has devoted themselves to making it impossible?
A Divorce Lawyer appointment requires careful consideration and should not be entered into lightly. Having made up your mind that your relationship has broken down irretrievably, where do you go from here and how can you sort out a settlement for the property or the children?
The first question you need to answer is 'how ugly is this likely to be?'. If you and your partner have 'agreed to disagree' then any lawyer who handles matrimonial work is quite likely to suffice. On the other hand if your partner wants not just a settlement but also a large piece of you too, then you need the best and only someone who specializes in divorce will do.
Remember that if it is going to be messy, it will be as messy as it can get. Once your partner has started throwing stones at you, it will not stop until you have reached all-out Armageddon. His or her own divorce lawyer will be fueling the fire (and, in doing so, be ensuring their fees are kept high) and a courtroom is no place for reconciliation.
Also keep in mind that the root cause cited in the court is almost certainly not going to be the one that caused the relationship to crumble. Between embarrassment, the wordings of the lawyers, the substantiality of the argument and its evidence and what is likely to generate the most lucrative settlement for your nemesis, the truth is often fully-eclipsed.
But how do you find the best divorce lawyer? If you are not in the fortunate position of being in the business or know yourself, the best place to start is by asking your friends. With statistics running so high, everyone knows someone who has been through a break-up - messy or otherwise. Obviously use Yellow Pages and keep an eye open for adverts.
Have some points to ask questions about when you speak to your shortlist of lawyers. Don't forget the function of a divorce lawyer in a messy break-up is to:
- Defend you
- Attack your ex-partner
- Gain you access to or supervision of any children
- Grab the property and other assets you want
- Make a deal for those items you can't keep
- Leave your name and reputation as unblemished as possible
- Sort out paperwork and other administrative matters pertaining to the divorce
- Set you up for a viable and happier future as a single person again
Assess each interviewee against all of the foregoing and only engage someone when you are entirely happy.
Sadly the next few months are not going to be pleasant ones however the process can have some of the pain removed by making sure you appoint the best divorce lawyer.
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