Odds are, you have been on at least one job interview in your life. The folks looking to hire you for an important positon no doubt asked you about your background and qualifications in order to determine whether you would be the best person for the job.
When you are looking to hire a divorce lawyer, you are essentially interviewing candidates for perhaps the most critical project of your life. You should treat your initial meetings with potential attorneys as you would a job interview. Ask questions. Get a sense of who they are, how they approach their practice, and what you can expect during the course of your attorney-client relationship.
Consider asking the following questions as you look for the attorney, advisor, and ally to guide you through your divorce:
- How long have you been practicing law?
- How much of your practice is focused on divorce and family law?
- Do you handle other kinds of cases?
- How long have you been doing divorce/family law work?
- Will any other attorneys be working on my case or just you?
- How many open divorce and custody cases do you have right now?
- How many divorce or custody trials have you had in the past year?
- Do you represent both men and women? Why or why not?
- Do you require an advance retainer, and if so, how much is it?
- What do you do with the advance retainer? Is a portion of it reserved for the final bill?
- How often do you bill?
- How long after I am billed before payment is due?
- Do you take credit cards or offer a payment plan?
- How much do you estimate my case will cost?
- What are the terms of the fee agreement?
- How long will it be before the case reaches completion?
- If I need to reach you urgently and you are not available to take my call, do you have someone else who will be able to speak with me? If not, how long will it take you to return my call?
- What are the different phases of my case.
At Clement Law, we provide trusted counsel and effective advocacy to individuals in New York and New Jersey going through the transition of divorce. While thorough and aggressive, we help clients resolve their cases in novel and creative ways in order to minimize strife and reach a positive resolution. If you’d like to discuss any issues relating to divorce, please give us a call at (212) 683-9551 or fill out our online form to arrange for a consultation. We look forward to assisting you.
