Securing Your Future and Addressing Confusion - Questions to Ask a Family Lawyer During a Divorce
Hiring an experienced family lawyer can go a long way toward helping you resolve a difficult divorce, but since divorce tends to be an unfamiliar experience, many people may find themselves struggling to ask the right questions to get the most helpful answers. This can create frustration that you should work to resolve.
Below, you'll find a guide to some questions you should be sure to ask a family lawyer, such as John Alegria Attorney at Law, during a divorce proceeding. Having the answers to these questions will provide you with the peace of mind of knowing you've done all you can to protect your interests, and will also allow you to feel far more confident about the conclusion of the process.
Ask About Direct Negotiations
Many attorneys have billing practices which count the hours they work for you, so it's natural to want to limit those where possible in order to keep your costs down. If your split with your spouse is relatively amicable, there may be some aspects which you can negotiate directly, allowing you to save on your attorney costs.
Before you begin this process, however, it's vital that you have a frank conversation with your lawyer about any perils or pitfalls that you should seek to avoid. Your attorney can advise you on topics to avoid in order to guarantee that your interests remain protected and your financial future remains secure.
Ask About Outside Experts
In some divorce proceedings, the other party may seek to hide the truth in order to achieve a more favorable verdict or more relaxed terms. Whether this deliberate alteration of the truth is a product of personal behavior or financial misconduct, it's important that you get to the bottom of it.
Your lawyer likely has a professional relationship with private detectives, forensic accountants, and other professional investigators who will be able to help assist you with your fact finding mission. Be sure to ask about employing these folks, as doing so may have a huge benefit for your future.
Ask About Contingency Fees
If you're going through a divorce, it can be difficult to imagine supporting yourself on an income that's suddenly much lower than it used to be. Pairing that challenge with paying for an attorney may seem like an impossibility, but your lawyer can help you through that process. Be sure to ask about his or her willingness to be paid on a contingency basis, allowing you to wrap their fees into your settlement and guaranteeing full financial flexibility for you in the short term.