In order to practice family law an attorney needs to be compassionate, confident, strong willed, determined, and resilient. Family law includes divorce cases, annulments, child custody cases, child support issues, paternity issues, wills, and all things involving people related by blood, or marriage.
When you are talking about child custody with a parent you have to be able to convey what is best for the child to them, even when what is best for the child is not what the parent wants to hear.
• A good child custody lawyer will be able to listen to their client and to all of the facts concerning the child, the two parents of the child, and everything that affects the child, and make an impartial determination about what would be in the best interest of the child.
• Lawyers try to create child support agreements that allow each parent to contribute an equal amount to the caring, and support of the child they share. Good lawyers are able to divide the amount of child support that needs to be paid according to the financial situation of the parent and not just according to the sex of the parent, or to which parent has conservatorship over the child.
• The lawyer you retain to represent you in family law court needs to be from the same county that you live in, or from a neighboring county so they can be up to date on all of the laws of that county.
• The lawyer you retain should be confident. When you interview a prospective lawyer you want them to assure you that they can handle the case you have, and that they can win the case for you. If your lawyer lacks confidence in themselves you will not be able to be confident in them.
• The lawyer you hire has to be one that has experience in the type of family law case that you need assistance with. If the lawyer you hire has never went to court with a case like yours then they do not have the experience that could provide them with winning strategies. You want to see reviews, diplomas, and accolades that assure you that the lawyer you are hiring is the right one for the job.
• Family law attorneys often allow their clients to make payments on their fees instead of paying the full amount up front. The law firm may request that you pay 10% of the fees up front and then make a monthly payment until all fees are paid. They may also waive their fees until after you have been to court because they may ask the judge to order the other party to pay all attorney fees, and court costs.
The biggest tip concerning lawyers who deal with family law issues is that you need to hire someone that you have faith in. When you go to the consultation visit you will spend time with the lawyer talking about the case. This will be enough time for you to determine what type of personality the counselor has, and whether or not you like them.