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