Top Questions to Ask a Divorce Attorney
By: Gordon & Perlut, LLC
Finding the best Chicago divorce lawyer in the Chicagoland area to handle your case can be a complicated and time-intensive process. Before you hire a divorce attorney in Chicago or the surrounding counties to handle your case, it is extremely important to meet with lawyers in person and come prepared with a set of questions that can help you to determine who is the right advocate to assist with your divorce or family law case. A divorce is often one of the most difficult experiences in a person’s life. As such, it is important you have a lawyer on your side with experience handling cases like your own, and who has a plan that is compatible with your goals.
When you are meeting with a Chicago area divorce lawyer, the following are questions (with explanations) that you should consider asking. Of course, if there is an issue of great importance to you, add that question to your list.
Even though many divorces in Chicago are relatively straightforward under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA), it is still important to have a lawyer on your side with experience handling cases with fact patterns similar to yours. Whether you are preparing for a divorce after a long-term marriage or a high net worth divorce, you want to make sure you have an attorney who understands the issues you are facing.
Can you call your divorce lawyer at any time? Can you exchange text messages or emails? Depending upon your preferred method of communication, you want to make sure you will be able to stay in contact with your attorney. You should also find out how frequently your lawyer plans to communicate with you.
Will people other than the lawyer work on your case, such as paralegals or legal assistants? What are their qualifications?
The financial realities of divorce can be difficult to talk about, but you should always find out how much a divorce lawyer costs and what they anticipate (roughly) the total cost of your divorce may be in the end. You should also feel comfortable asking about ways to keep costs down where possible, and you should always work with a lawyer who wants to avoid litigation when possible and who has your best interests in mind. If a lawyer is not willing to help you work toward an uncontested divorce, or does not seem interested in helping you to negotiate with your spouse toward a property settlement or the development of a parenting plan, that lawyer may not be the right person to handle your case.
Whether through reviews or testimonials, a divorce lawyer should be able to point you toward information from clients whose divorce cases they have handled in the past. You might specifically ask to learn more about client experiences when those clients had divorce cases with fact patterns like your own case.
Contact a Divorce Lawyer in Chicago
Do you need help with your divorce? A Chicago divorce lawyer can assist you. Contact Gordon & Perlut, LLC to learn more about our services.