Having an attorney to represent you in your divorce is one of the most important aspects to a successful case. Your personal knowledge of divorce is based on stories you’ve probably heard from friends or family members and as a result you don’t really know what to expect. That’s fine. You’ve never been divorced before and as I tell clients all the time, hopefully you never have to talk to another family law attorney again. The fact remains that if you do have to go through a divorce you should be represented by an effective and experienced family law attorney.
It is easy to be inundated by images of what a divorce is supposed to be from television, movies, news articles and the aforementioned friends/family. It’s fine to rely on these sources to an extent but ultimately you do not want to rely on them because your case is different than any divorce case that’s come before yours. With that said, the following are some characteristics that I believe a family law attorney should embody.
The ability to communicate
It without saying that the key to any good relationship is the ability to communicate. Whether your attorney is communicating a legal argument to a judge or is simply updating you on the drafting of a document the transfer of knowledge from your attorney’s brain to your ears or another person’s involved in the case is critical. As I will often tell clients, it does not matter if I am at the office working on your case until midnight every night of the week unless you are aware of it.
The attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC believe that our primary responsibility is to represent our clients through open and honest communication. This means listening to you the client more than speaking to you. If you are hiring a lawyer you should consider whether or not you believe that the attorney sitting across the table from you is willing to actively listen to your concerns.
Willingness to Negotiate
Television and movies would have us believe that most lawsuits wind up before a judge where the lawyers duke it out verbally with one another for all the world to see. If we can tap the breaks on this image for a moment, I’m here to tell you that most lawsuits (including divorces) settle long before a court date is even necessary.
This is because effective divorce lawyers understand that negotiating a settlement to a divorce will typically result in a much more equitable result than will a contested trial. The reason being is that as parties to a divorce, you and your spouse are able to come up with better solutions than a judge because you both are intimately aware of the factors in your case. The judge will do his or her best to be fair but he or she will suffer from a lack of information no matter how detailed your trial gets.
Your divorce attorney should be prepared to negotiate with your opposing party in order to seek an out of court settlement. This saves time, money and sanity in the long run.
Honesty
Lawyers have a bad reputation for not always being honest, but from my experiences I can safely say that the vast majority of attorneys that I’ve encountered are fair and do seek to put their client’s interests ahead of their own. If you are in the market for a family law attorney it is critical to have a conversation with the attorney prior to hiring him or her.
This meeting will allow you an opportunity to talk to and go over your case with the lawyer and to pick their brain on strategy. Listen to the lawyer’s answers and see how the line up with your own sense or right and wrong. If the lawyer’s responses match up to your personal “trust barometer” then you can probably feel good that you’re speaking with a trustworthy attorney.
Experience in advocacy
Family law attorneys spend more time in court than almost other kind of attorney. However, this does not mean that the family law attorney you’re set to hire actually has extensive courtroom experience. While a hearing or trial can certainly be won or lost during the preparation stage, a lawyer should be a strong advocate in the courtroom for their client.
This can mean having the knowledge of courtroom procedure and the skill to execute actions based on that knowledge as well as the persuasive ability to convince a judge or jury to side with your argument over that of your spouse.
Your lawyer doesn’t have to be a loud, pound your fist and look mean sort of person but he or she needs to be able to stand up for you in a tough environment.
Heart
My fifth characteristic that I believe a Texas divorce attorney must possess is a heart for representing clients going through difficult times. A divorce is not a business dispute, or a personal injury claim or any other sort of legal case. A divorce is a case that involves you, the people most important to you and a lifetime’s worth of income and property.
It is critical to have an attorney on your side that can understand and appreciate the tremendous responsibility you have entrusted him or her with. If you’re speaking with a lawyer who talks about themselves more than your children or your family home I would not feel confident that lawyer has your best interests at heart.
How to tell if an attorney has these qualities? Read on, tomorrow.
In tomorrow’s blog post we will be discussing how to identify if a family law attorney embodies the above characteristics. In the meantime, if you have any questions about today’s blog post or any other subject in the field of family law please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC. A free of charge consultation is only a phone call away where your questions can be answered by one of our licensed family law attorneys.
Ebook
![Adobe Stock 62844981[2]](/images/AdobeStock_62844981[2].jpeg)
If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: “16 Steps to Help You Plan & Prepare for Your Texas Divorce”
![Divorce Wasting Assets[4]](/images/Divorce-wasting-assets[4].jpeg)
If you want to know more about how to prepare, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: “13 Dirty Tricks to Watch Out For in Your Texas Divorce, and How to Counter Them" Today!”
Other Articles you may be interested in:
- Tips for hiring a divorce attorney in Texas, Part Two
- Tips for hiring a divorce attorney in Texas, Part Three
- Hiring a Divorce or Family Lawyer in Spring, Texas
- Why do divorces cost so much in Texas?
- How Much Will My Texas Divorce Cost?
- 8 Tips for Reducing the Cost of a Divorce in Texas
- $300 Divorce Cost a Man $100,000 in Texas
- Low cost and affordable divorces, attorneys, websites and divorce Costs in Texas
- 6 things You Need to Know Before You File for Divorce in Texas
- SUCH AN EASY DIVORCE? THAT HUSBAND MAY LOSE HIS HOUSE!
Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Spring Divorce Lawyer
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it's important to speak with a Spring, TX Divorce Lawyer right away to protect your rights.
A divorce lawyer in Spring TX is skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles Divorce cases in Spring, Texas, Cypress, Spring, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County and Waller County.
