Divorce Lawyer Consultation: Questions to ask
When consulting with a divorce attorney for a preliminary assessment, it's beneficial to get as much details as possible. Optimizing your time requires that you prepare a list of questions you need answers to before your meeting. If you fail to prepare and forget to inquire about vital information, you may end up having to pay the attorney to answer those questions at a later time. Generally, your questions will likely relate to financial and child custody issues.
Lawyer Fee Structure
The very first question you ought to ask the divorce attorney during the consultation is about her fee structure. Specifically, you want to know whether the attorney will bill you for each hour she invests in your case, consisting of the time she invests addressing your concerns, or whether it's a set charge. Because divorce proceedings can sometimes take years to finalize, you must prepare for the financial ramifications.
Divorce Procedures
Every state has various treatments you and your lawyer should follow to declare divorce. Although the length of time required to complete a divorce will always depend on the complexity of your scenario, your lawyer needs to supply you with a quote of the timeline. If you work full-time or have other responsibilities that take in a bulk of your time, knowledge of important divorce procedures and the time dedications they need can assist you get ready for what lies ahead.
Alimony Issues
States have particular guidelines that dictate whether a spouse might look for alimony from the other spouse. In many cases, eligibility associates with the length of your marriage, whether you or your spouse stays at home to raise kids, and even the discrepancy in revenues in between spouses. Regardless of whether you are the spouse seeking the spousal support or have concerns about your liability for its payment, raising the question throughout the preliminary consultation with your lawyer can supply you with insight into your prospective liabilities as you proceed through the divorce.
Kid Custody
When you have kids with your spouse, and are not able to independently agree as to who will maintain custody, it's essential to understand from the start which elements are essential to state judges when deciding which moms and dad to award custody to. You must ask your attorney what your opportunities are of acquiring custody of your children. Given that kid custody problems sometimes lengthen divorce proceedings, it's best to understand which problems are best to yield and which to challenge. You may also inquire about alternative conflict resolution like mediation or arbitration if you feel going to trial is something you 'd like to avoid.
Dividing Marital Assets
Most state divorce laws supply a simple formula for allocating joint properties between spouses. Nevertheless, the formula varies for each state given that state residential or commercial property laws will dictate the ownership rights of each partner. It's important to ask the divorce learn here legal representative what the legal framework for splitting marital properties is in your state.
For more information, contact:
Clearwater Law Group
5205 West Clearwater Avenue
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 734-8500