When it comes to your family, you deserve only the best attorney to help you fight for what you deserve and who truly has your best interest in mind. Unfortunately, it can be an overwhelming and frustrating task to find the best family law attorney and child custody lawyer in Erie. There are many legal experts in the area, and narrowing down your options and finding someone who can help you, will fight for you, and who is knowledgeable about your specific situation can seem like an impossible task.
Here are a few tips to help you find the best divorce lawyer in Westminster or the best divorce lawyer in Erie.
Ask Friends and Family Members for Recommendations
As you begin your search, one of the best starting places is with those individuals who you trust the most — your close friends and family members. If you know of individuals who have hired attorneys in the past, talk to them about their experiences and whether they would recommend a particular attorney.
After you talk to your friends and family members, expand your search. Look online at the various reviews and learn more about other individual’s experiences. It is important to remember that some individuals will leave mean reviews due to a case not turning out how they desired. This means that you must look carefully at each comment.
As you read, you want to look for common factors in each review. For example, if multiple reviews mention the attorney was difficult to reach, unprofessional, difficult to get along with, etc., then you will want to take that information under consideration as you make your final decision.
Find Two or Three Potential Attorneys
As you search for the best attorneys to work with, you don’t want to settle for the first attorney you meet or that pops up on your online search. You want to find a lawyer in Broomfield who will be best for you and your particular situation. It is wise to narrow down your search to two or three potential attorneys. This will give you some options and is an excellent starting place as you schedule consultations.
Schedule Consultations With Each Attorney
Once you have your list of two or three potential attorneys, schedule a consultation with each attorney. Often, attorneys will provide a free consultation to meet with you, discuss your case, determine if they have any conflicts of interest, and answer any questions you may have. This consultation may only be thirty minutes or it could be much longer. You want to make the most out of the time you are given to help you determine if the attorney is the best to hire.
As you prepare for your consultation, gather as much paperwork as possible. You want to have all the documentation ready to give to the attorney to determine whether you have an adequate case. You should also have a list of questions prepared as well. Bring this list of questions with you to ensure that you have all of the information from the attorney you need as you determine the next step in the process. A few of the questions you may wish to ask the attorney include:
- Have you handled a case like this before?
- What would be the next steps in the case if I hire you?
- Do you believe you could win my case?
- What additional information would you need from me?
- When would you be able to work on my case? What does the timeframe look like?
- What does communicating with you look like? Will I work with you closely, or will I work with an assistant, paralegal, or associate attorney?
- Do you require any retainer fees? How does the attorney bill? Is it a flat fee or does he or she charge per hour?
During this consultation, you are not only working to gather information about the attorney, but you also want to pay attention to his or her personality. What is the attorney’s personality like? Do you believe that you could easily work with this individual? If you have any hesitations, it may be in your best interest to hold off hiring this legal expert and meet with a few more individuals to ensure you have found the right person for the job.
Before you make any final decisions, make sure you meet with each potential individual you have found during your initial search. While you may feel more comfortable and confident with one attorney over another, it is best to have met with each one to ensure you have made the best choice.
Provide All Necessary Paperwork
After you have hired and found the best attorney, it is crucial that you get to work and provide all needed documentation, paperwork, etc., to the attorney. The longer you delay in providing this information, the longer it will be until your case is completed. It is also important that you respond quickly to all of the attorney’s inquiries. The attorney cannot complete his work without your assistance and you must do your part if you want the case to turn out as you desire.
A legal battle is a difficult time, but with the right attorney on your side, it will be less stressful and overwhelming. You will be happier with the final result and you will feel more confident in the attorney’s actions and how he handles and presents the case. Using the above steps, you can find the best family law attorney in the area who can help you every step of the way, is available to answer your questions, and who truly has your best interest in mind.
