Picking the Right Family Attorney for Your Family Dispute

The idea of having to walk into a courtroom or wrestle with a legal document is intimidating to many people especially if it deals with family, but most people will encounter the legal system in some fashion at some point in their lives. That is why it is important to hire a good family attorney when such a time may come. 

A Family Attorney Who Has Been Referred

Consult with more than one person prior to choosing the one who is right for you. Although this may add to your initial financial expense, it is important to meet with at least two different attorneys to assess the different styles and practices of lawyers in this field. Many family lawyers charge you for an initial consultation. There are others who only bill you for a consultation in the event you ultimately hire them. Confer with people you know and trust for referrals. Gather current information on the mammoth task you are about to experience and seek out the names of attorneys to assist you. It is likely that a relative or close friend has recently been through similar problems

A Family Attorney Who Is Knowledgeable

A family attorney need to have a working knowledge of many areas of law. A relationship breakdown impinges on many areas of law: from criminal law to bankruptcy; from property to tax law. A good family lawyer will know enough to seek advice from other specialist lawyers when your case requires it. A good family lawyer will also liaise with your accountant and financial planner, both to seek advice when needed, but also to make sure that the financial goals you were trying to achieve with them are consistent with the approach that is being taken in your family law matter.

A Family Attorney Who Is Compassionate

A good family lawyer needs to be sympathetic to you but will not always agree with you. You are not paying a lawyer to agree with you. You are paying a lawyer to give you their professional opinion and advice based on their experience and expertise.


Attorneys are commonly described as “sometimes scheming," but the right partner — while necessary — certainly isn't evil. Working with your attorney shouldn't be a painful experience. If you're proactive and you have a good relationship with your attorney, it can be beneficial to your business in the long run. You should feel confident in seeking a second opinion if you just don’t feel right about something your lawyer is advising. In seeking information about who to see, consult family and friends whose opinions you value. Your business lawyer, accountant or financial planner can also be a source of information and most firms have a website where you can gain a feel about the firm.

Internal Family Problems? Hire a Family Lawyer!

Some life changing events are nearly impossible to pull through without the help of others. A divorce is usually one of the hardest events to face in life, hence it is important to properly handle all the complicated details that unfortunately come during a divorce process. Choosing to hire a family lawyer will make everything associated with your specific divorce much easier, and above all protect your interests and those of your loved ones.

A family lawyer specializes in a variety of cases which include, but not limited to, divorce, child visitation rights, child support, guardianship and spousal support. The family lawyer deals with all issues that involve the family; therefore, you should contact him when you are having any family issue. Some of the situations that makes you hire a family lawyer will include:

For Child Custody issues

For many divorcing couples, this is the single most contentious issue. Children have the DNA of both parents, and both parents usually have a deep, instinctive desire to love and protect them. It can be devastating for one party to lose access to their children half- or even full-time. If you had children in your marriage there can be a struggle on who will have custody over them. If you can’t agree with your ex-spouse or you can’t see each other you should hire the child custody lawyer to act as a mediator. The lawyer should help you in reaching an agreement that will be for the best interest of your children.

For an Impending Divorce

It’s common for marriages to come to an end. If you have been divorced you know that it’s not an easy thing. A bad marriage may tempt you to take matters into your own hands and file for divorce yourself, but before you do so, you should stop and consider hiring a family law attorney. You need to consider everything that you will need to deal with during the divorce process and how a lawyer can help reduce your stress and make sure that mistakes are not made. A divorce is an extremely emotional time for both spouses. You may experience feelings of sadness, betrayal, fear, depression, rage, confusion and resignation — sometimes all on the same day! This level of heightened emotions, and the fact that you cannot possibly be objective about your case, will skew your judgement.

For Child support

Your divorce doesn’t mean that your children’s lives come to a stop. They still need to eat, go to school, and do many other things. Due to this, they need money. Studies show that most divorced couples are unable to agree on the right amount of money they should contribute to the upbringing of their children. Your child support attorney will guide you on the amount both of you should contribute.

For Distribution of property

Lawyers have experience making property divisions in countless other cases. They also understand the law as it pertains to ownership, and will be able to apply it to your case with care and fairness. Is there any high asset divorce that doesn’t have involve a tussle on who ends up with what? Absolutely, not. The struggle can see you spending years in court. The lawyer you hire will help you in equally distributing your property so that you can go on with your lives without wasting a lot of time and money in the court.

Divorce, child support, child custody, and alimony cases can be difficult for anyone to go through. The stress and emotions involved is enough to make anyone feel defeated before they even begin. While you may not be required to hire legal representation in your family law case, you’ll want to consider these benefits that come with hiring a family lawyer.

Good Reasons to Change Lawyers

Going through an internal family problem like divorce is a life-changing event. The outcome of such a case can affect your life and the lives of the children for many years to come. Therefore, it’s important to have a good lawyer with whom you have a good working relationship. If that’s not the case, the lawyer should be discharged.

If you are experiencing any of the following they have legitimate reason to be concerned and might want to consider changing lawyers. In court the family attorney seems unprepared and lacks a basic knowledge of the facts of the case. The attorney is not responding to the client’s calls or emails and the client has a very difficult time getting questions answered by either the lawyer or the lawyer’s staff.

When the client asks how to move the case forward the attorney is unable to give a clear answer and seems to have no proactive plan.

Ongoing Missed Deadlines

Has your family attorney asked for repeated time extensions from the court without a good explanation (and without it serving your best interests)? Have you received notices from the court or from another party saying that a deadline has been missed or that your case is about to be dismissed for lack of activity? Are there documents you have been promised aren’t ready when they're supposed to be. Everybody has emergencies now and then, but if this happens repeatedly, there could be a problem.

There Are No New Developments

Don’t sit by the phone while you wait for an answer – your evasive lawyer is dodging you. Sometimes, there is a lot of inactivity on your case for long periods of time. Your lawyer may have been an SOB before becoming an attorney or maybe they just think you can’t understand anything you’ve been told so far. Worse, your family attorney has no clue what he or she is doing. An incompetent attorney equals a bad outcome. Remember, nobody cares as much about your case as you do. Make sure to do your due diligence on your representative. That counsel you hired is probably just gathering clients for his portfolio; and doesn’t give a hoot if your case falls through. Every time you speak, you receive nothing but excuses. Whatever is going on in their personal life is not your problem, but your problem is their problem. And if they don’t have time for your problem, they don’t have time for your money.


Whether the reasons for switching attorneys are good or bad it is a significant decision and one that should be made after giving is serious consideration of all the issues in the case. For example, if the case is scheduled for trial in a week it would be extremely difficult for any lawyer to adequately prepare that quickly. The family attorney-client relationship does not always work out. Sometimes this is the fault of the lawyer, who fails to communicate or fails to act with diligence on the client’s legal behalf. Sometimes this is the fault of the client, who holds the lawyer to unrealistic standards or has unrealistic expectations about the outcome of the matter.

What Questions Should You Ask When Hiring a Family Attorney

Commonly speaking, you'll want to have a list of questions in hand to ask during your first meeting with the family attorney annapolis md. Also, you should feel comfortable enough asking questions that relate to the lawyer's know-how, payment, special knowledge, and the management of the case.

Prepare to Ask Background Questions for Your Family Attorney

Prepare questions to ask about family attorney's legal education and professional experience. Now is not the time to act shy. Feel free to ask about the attorney's track record, such as the number of cases won or settled. How long have you been practicing law? Is he or she a member of any bar associations and professional organizations? If so, which ones? On average, how many child custody cases has he or she handled annually? Has he or she frequently handle custody cases similar to yours?

Prepare to Ask Legal Fees for Your Family Attorney

Prepare questions to ask about the estimated cost of your custody case. The first thing the usually comes to mind is how much a family attorney charges. Generally, the professional fees of an attorney depend on the nature and complexity of the case, the financial capacity of the client, the extent of work required, among other factors. The usual legal fee arrangements are: initial consultation fee, fixed retainer, time-based charging, acceptance fee, and contingent fee arrangements.

Prepare to Ask the Legal Philosophy & Style of Your Family Attorney

You'll want to ask about the custody lawyer's style and approach to practicing law. Among the questions to consider asking. In family law, we are dealing with people who had been sexually intimate. Family law frequently involves couples who have children together. In no other area of law are people giving or receiving money without the concept of fault being involved. The combination of these factors can lead to very destructive behavior the consequences of which can be felt long after the “case” is over. Is it the attorneys or the clients, their children and their families that get to live with those consequences?

Prepare to Ask Your Family Attorney of the Assessment of Your Child Custody Case

If you are in the midst of a divorce or issues concerning the custody of your child have arisen, it is important to speak to an attorney to ensure that your rights as a parent are protected. In addition to issues specific to your circumstances. First and foremost, you need to determine if your custody rights are at risk. If the other parent threatens your right to custody or time with your child. Are you both considering a shared parenting? The details of specific arrangements for each family are memorialized in a document called a shared parenting plan.

Ask Your Family Attorney Of His Estimated Timeline For Your Case

This concern is often disregarded, but truth is -- asking an estimated timeline of your case is as significant as asking your attorney about the different options for your case. Therefore, make sure to include in your list of questions of when is the tentative date to start and finish the whole legal proceeding, as well as possible delays and how to prevent or reduce them. But of course, you must also consider certain factors such as how immediate you provide the required documents, filing and actions.
Source: What a Family Lawyer Should Tell You

Ask Your Family Attorney About Basic Legal Terms Significant To Your Family Case

You should not be complacent enough to not knowing the basic legal terms applicable to your family case just because you already hired a family lawyer annapolis md. Educate yourself, and to do that, better ask your lawyer about some legal terms which you often heard in such area practice (e.g. alimony, community property, custodial parent, etc.). As a member of the smallest unit of our society, you must have an initial knowledge regarding the legal concept of family law. Don’t hold back when asking questions, if there is something unclear or anything you don’t understand, clarify with your lawyer.
Source:  Family Lawyer: Terms You Need to Know About Family Law

Ask Your Family Attorney If He/She can Fully Attend To Your Case

Hiring a family lawyer annapolis md should supposedly save you time. So during the initial consultation, make sure to ask your lawyer if he/she has other matters in hand or his/her schedule is fully occupied. Your attorney should be the one to handle mostly everything in your case.He/She should gather the necessary documents and evidences as well as formulate a strong strategy to be used during the trial. Of course, it is also part of their responsibility to make court appearances. Along with their efforts, you can expect a speedy progress in your case and you don’t have to sacrifice time you could actually spent working or eat dinner with your family.
Source: Get Comprehensive Help From A Family Lawyer 


Once you have interviewed and decided which family attorney annapolis md you want to hire have that attorney draw up a fee contract. Do not give the attorney a retainer fee until a contract is written and signed by both you and the attorney. If the attorney refuses to do this, find another attorney.

Wise & Donahue PLC
410-280-2023
18 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401
www.wisedonahue.com

What Are the Reasons for Hiring a Family Attorney?

The legal custody matters of your children are always complicated, but working with a family attorney who specializes in child custody will help make the process smoother. Divorce is an unpleasant reality for many families. Marriage doesn’t always work out in the long term, often for reasons that are out of your control. Because society as a whole understands the circumstances that precipitate divorce, gone is the stigma that existed in previous generations.

For the Needed Child Support

This is another difficult issue. Very often, incomes levels differ significantly between two divorcing partners. Because divorces are emotionally fraught, and one partner or the other feels difficulty expressing themselves, sometimes missing out on opportunities for equitable support. It is important to realize that child support agreements that occur here will matter for months and years into the future. A good attorney can be an immense help in this situation, ensuring that the children and custody parent receive the proper support.

For the Distribution of Properties and Wealth

This is yet another difficult division to make. After a married couple has been together for more than a few years, property might include one or more houses, savings, investments, family heirlooms, and countless other items. In many cases, both parties feel they are due to more than they perhaps should be. Lawyers have experience making property divisions in countless other cases. They also understand the law as it pertains to ownership, and will be able to apply it to your case with care and fairness.


Family law attorney must possess the skills of a litigator and negotiator. Time management skills are a must as well, as the practice of law in the family area is very driven by interruption. It is very helpful to develop counseling skills, as you will be dealing with people going through a very emotional time in their lives.


If you talk to a family attorney about your legal concerns, they're going to tell you to hire an attorney. They will tell you an experienced attorney is a professional who understands how the system works. They'll assure you that a skilled lawyer will fight for the results you need. For many potential clients, this feels like little more than a self-serving sales pitch.


In a custody case, your family attorney will be similar to an advocate for your child. The ideal attorney will protect the best interests of your child. This is one area where it pays to be methodical and selective.


Don’t settle for a family attorney annapolis md who meets just a few of these qualifications. To reach the most favorable outcome in your custody case, work with a team that checks off all the requirements on your checklist. One that is prepared to help you arrive at the best custody arrangement for your child or the child in question.

Wise & Donahue PLC

410-280-2023

18 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401

www.wisedonahue.com

Family Attorney: Must-do Before Hiring

When you face a sensitive family issue such as divorce, civil union, child custody, spousal support, domestic violence, etc., then don’t think twice to hire a family attorney. Apart from representing you in the court, he/she will act as a mediator between you and another family member to avoid bursting of emotions carelessly and that you make choices wisely.


Deal spousal relationships and parent-child relationship with an expert attorney beside you. Now, how will you hire a family attorney? What are the things you should do to get an attorney? How will you identify a good one?


You should conduct a personal interview or an initial consultation. This practical method will definitely help you assess the character and ability of an attorney - if it perfectly matches you and your family case. Here are some interview questions to ask when hiring a family attorney:

Do you specialize in family law?

The primary requirement you should look for an attorney is the specialization. That way, you are confident that he/she critically knows every nook and cranny, twists and turns of the legal procedure concerning your family case. A family attorney in annapolis md should be able to provide effective strategies and resolutions for the settlement of your case.

What is the type of cases you handled in the past?

You must also dig into the past output of an attorney. If you are facing a divorce, an attorney who mostly handled the same case in the previous part of his/her career can make a great change in your situation. An actual experience is still more efficient than knowledge.

What specific cases do you feel passionate about?

Now this is one good question. Why? Simple, when an attorney loves to handle child adoption cases, he/she will take care of you and your case with so much sincerity and compassion as well.

How many years have you been practicing as an attorney?

Experience identifies the proficiency of an attorney. Years of experience polish the ability of an attorney to solve and make a favorable settlement for a case despite some complications.

How many cases you’ve settled out of court and how many have gone to trial?

If he/she solved more cases out of court, then such type of attorney would be best for you if ever you don’t want to invest so much time, money, effort and emotion into your family case. Because if your case goes to court, expect a longer and more complex process.

Will you handle my case yourself?

When hiring a family attorney, it is very important that he/she directly handles your case. Such way gives you assurance that you are well taken care of, your case is recognized by the court, and you can expect a favorable result.


Moreover, before you hire an attorney, make sure that he/she will give 100 percent focus on your case such as giving you updates regularly about what’s going on. You can even ask his/her initial goals as well as your expectations.


You should interview multiple lawyers to help you pick the best among the rest.

Wise & Donahue PLC

410-280-2023

18 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401

www.wisedonahue.com

Family Lawyer: How to Find the Best

A family attorney can help you negotiate custody, either by agreement or in court. Whether through choice, chance, or circumstance you find yourself facing a family law matter, seek appropriate family law representation and contact a family lawyer to set up your free consultation. The custodial parent (the one the child lives with) earns the legal right to make decisions regarding the child's lifestyle, welfare, and education.

A GOOD RAPPORT

You better like your lawyer -- you will be spending quite a bit of time with her/him and will be sharing some of your most vulnerable thoughts. Why not look for a lawyer with a sense of humor, compassion, warmth and people skills. Not all lawyers are stuffy, condescending and rude. There's nothing worse than paying someone to be a jerk.

THE EXPERIENCE

Along with academic qualities, the family attorney must also have experience in dealing with a wide variety of legal cases. He/she should have handled cases of divorce, child custody, and distribution of property, alimony and other aspects of family law. This might be visible in the testimonials he/she provides. The longer and wider the experiences, the easier the process will be for the client.

COMMUNICATION AND VIRTUE

Your family attorney should be available and able to communicate in any reasonable part of the day. If you call him, and no one responds, he should only call back, as that is his duty. You do not need to speak with his paralegal, because he is the one presenting and advising you in the case, and you are paying him. They say patience is a virtue, and that is true. Along with perseverance, your family must possess this one. This saying, you should not hire a lawyer, who tends to lose his temper and at the end actually blames himself. You are allowed that emotions take over you from time to time, as what you are going through are not pleasant at all, but your lawyer should be there to support you. Also, a lawyer must approach your case strategically and have maximum focus till you win the case.

A FOUNDATION OF TRUST

Participation in your professional community is essential to growing a strong family attorney annapolis md. One of the critical requirements for consistent referrals is establishing a foundation of trust among professionals. The number one way to build trust is to spend time making a contribution to your community and showing an interest in others. 

Never go for a lawyer who doesn’t specialize in family law, he or she may well be competent to handle uncomplicated family law matters. Some general practitioners will assure you that a specialist isn’t necessary. However, if you have decided to hire a lawyer, it is usually preferable to find one who specializes in family law. Appellate courts frequently make changes in the fine points of family law and a generalist can't be expected to stay current on these matters. If you live in a small community where there is no family lawyer, consider checking out a specialist in a larger neighboring area to take your case.

Wise & Donahue PLC
410-280-2023
18 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401
www.wisedonahue.com