Details about the Attorney-Client Relationship

For this blog post, I will assume that you, as a reader of this blog, have never hired an attorney, filed a lawsuit, or even seen the inside of a courtroom before.

Maybe you've seen a TV show about lawyers or your younger brother has gotten a divorce, but you never have and therefore have questions about what to expect and how to handle yourself in a divorce case.

This blog post will center around those subjects to assist you in learning more about the process. Along the way, if you have questions, please feel free to reach out to the attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, and we can schedule a consultation for you and one of our licensed family law attorneys.

When you hire an attorney, you're hiring more than just someone with a law degree.

The face you see on a lawyer's website or the smiling face at the consultation you had with the attorney is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the people know of and working on your family law case as much as you are hiring an attorney to represent you in court and other legal settings potentially, the day-to-day work on your case will likely be handled by your attorney's support staff.

For an attorney's office, the support staff likely consists of paralegals, legal assistants, law clerks, secretaries, and other personnel whose job is to manage cases and help clients achieve their goals. When you call your attorney, a support staff member will likely answer the phone much the same way as when you reach your doctor, a nurse or other team member will take your call there.

This doesn't mean that your attorney is not responsive but likely means that they are either meeting with another client, on the phone with an opposing attorney, or representing a client in court.

A benefit of having your attorney's support staff handling the day-to-day matters associated with your case means that they are working for you at a reduced rate as compared to your attorney. Family law attorneys typically bill clients by the hour, and their staff's amounts vary with experience and position at the firm.

While attorneys bill more than other team members (understandably), the support staff work lower billable hours. This means that your case will keep moving even when your attorney is busy, and you will not be charged as much. That's a "win-win" in my book.

Fulfilling your responsibilities as a client

It is easy to become too comfortable with the idea that your responsibilities sort of melt away now that you've hired an attorney. This could not be further from the truth. Your role in a family law case is to learn as much as possible, ask your attorney questions, and direct your attorney on where you want your chance to go.

This does not mean that you have to earn your own "unofficial" law degree during your case, but your chance will be better off with you in charge. After all, this is your case and not your attorney's. It is their responsibility to give you advice, but they are responsible for making decisions.

Your attorney should be keeping you up to date with all filings, correspondence sent to opposing counsel, and settlement offers made during your case. If they are not doing this, insist that you be kept in the loop during these sorts of matters. If you are receiving updates on your case and something does not make sense to you, absolutely ask to clarify something or explain it.

Ask for a phone call if an email doesn't do the trick. If the phone call still doesn't clear something up for you, ask to set up a time to come into the office to meet with your attorney face to face. From an attorney's perspective, if the client is aware of everything going on with a case, you are held much more accountable for your actions and work on a topic.

Be truthful to your attorney- about everything.

If there is one person in the world that you need to be one hundred percent truthful with during your divorce, it is your attorney. If you have any information on any subject essential to your case, provide it to them. Maybe you are a person of few words in most regards.

That's fine. In your divorce, however, communicate early and often with your attorney to ensure that everyone is on the same page as far as your case is concerned.

It is easy to come forward with information that can benefit your case. If you have text messages, emails, or social media posts that implicate your spouse in an affair or something similar, you may feel like skipping on the way to your attorney's office to drop off the copies of those messages. However, you need to be just as diligent when handing over information that can hurt you as well.

You may not relish having to divulge negative information about yourself to your attorney, but doing so can help you all prepare for its usage in court and can potentially minimize its impact overall.

Part Two of our discussion on the attorney-client relationship is to be posted tomorrow.

In tomorrow's blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, we will go over more tips about your responsibilities as a client. We will get into the nature of your relationship with your attorney.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about our office, please do not hesitate to contact us. Across southeast Texas, our attorneys have won many victories for our clients with the help of our staff and clients just like you. Contact us today to learn more about our firm and the services we provide our clients with.

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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it's essential to speak with one of our Houston , TX, Divorce Lawyers right away to protect your rights.

Our d ivorce lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the 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 Houston, Texas, Cypress, 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.