Asking questions during consultation is important in order to find out whether the family law attorney is qualified to handle your case. By talking with the attorney, you will be able to learn about his background and the level of his knowledge in the field. Usually, the lawyer only have limited time to attend to you in the initial consultation so you need to ask the right questions. The following are the 5 questions you should ask when hiring a lawyer.
- How Long Have You Been in Family Law?
The first question to ask the McKinney divorce attorney is how long have you been in family law. A lawyer that is in the family law business for many years will be able to interpret the case accurately and give you the right counsels. Novice lawyer will be slow in understanding your case as he lacks experience. If the lawyer cannot understand your case, you will most definitely also get wrong advice from him. At least, the lawyer should have around 4-5 years experience.
- Do You Have Experiences in Handling Similar Cases?
You can ask the lawyer if he has any experience in taking on cases like yours. You must be specific in asking about cases like yours instead of mentioning family related cases. This is especially if your case is complicated and involve serious disagreement with your spouse. Some lawyers like to boast about handling a lot of divorce cases on their catalogs but they only handle a few cases involving complex spousal matters in truth. If you are interested in taking cases to trial, make sure you also ask the lawyer on the number of cases he has represented in actual trial.
- What is the Turnaround Time for Responding to Calls?
You’ll want to ask the lawyer about the turnaround time for him to respond to your phone calls. It will happen when you have something urgent you need to contact your lawyer and talk to him. If he is long in responding your phone call, you might as well look for another lawyer. If you like his turnaround time, get him into putting down in agreement. It is also important that the lawyer report to your about your progress. Professional attorney will streamline the communication to help the client save money on the legal costs.
- Are You Assigning Someone Else on the Case?
Some lawyers will only have face to face conversation with you in the initial consultation. After that, when you agree to hire the lawyer, you will be assigned to another assistant who is responsible in working on your case. In this case, you must make sure that the person is experienced. They may also be other people that work on your case, for example, some cases require the lawyer to work with personal investigator and accountant.
- What is the Estimate Cost for the Case?
Finally, you must ask the lawyer about the estimate cost of handling your case. Family law attorneys usually charge a flat fee or retainer fee. If he charges a retainer fee, he will only collect a percentage of your compensation when he help you to win the case. A good lawyer will be honest with you about all the charges, and billing process. You can ask the lawyer how will the charges be calculated – for example, they will add up the cost when uncovering facts, or having to deal with a nasty opposing counsel.