As a first step a family law attorney will typically offer an initial consultation, or an opportunity to meet and go over in detail the facts of your case and any questions you have. An initial consultation is a great time to learn about the legal process you face and get questions answered, but it’s also a prime opportunity to spot a great attorney who can lead you through the process with expertise and confidence.
The exact questions you’ll want to raise in an initial consultation will vary based on the specific circumstances of your case, but as an experienced family law attorney here are the types of questions I would ask to help cut through buzz words and to help identify an excellent family law attorney:
Questions to Ask at an Initial Consultation to Spot a Great Family Law Attorney:
1. How much of your practice is family law?
Some attorneys practice in four or five different areas of the law while some have a single focus/specialty they limit their practice to. If you have an issue that spans multiple areas of the law (for example a criminal charge that could impact immigration status) then it makes sense to work with someone who has knowledge in all those areas. On the other hand, if you’re looking for someone to best help with a case that involves a single area of law you probably want a specialist that focuses on only that area of the law.
2. Have you handled other cases like this? How many?
Spend a bit of time explaining the facts of your case in detail. How much experience an attorney has in similar cases can be a great indicator of how comfortable/knowledgable they will be with your case. All family law cases are different and every attorney has to see a specific situation for the first time at some point, but if you can find someone who has dealt with similar situations before you’re off to a good start.
3. What are the main issues in the case? What are the steps to address those issues?
You want to make sure that the attorney you’re speaking with understands the issues in the case, your priorities, and what you’re hoping to accomplish. The attorney also needs to be able to develop a plan to help realize those goals. If any of that understanding or knowledge is missing your chances of accomplishing what you want are slim to none. At the same time, the attorney should recognize some legal issues that you weren’t aware of, after all that’s what an attorney does – especially one that’s experienced with similar cases. The initial consultation is the best time to make sure that everyone is on the same page about what the issues are, how you as the client prioritizes those issues, and to analyze if that attorney is well suited to address those issues.
4. What are the possible outcomes for my case? What outcomes are most likely, and what can we do to best help our case?
Being a great attorney is about much more than just knowing the law, a great attorney gives honest and actionable advice throughout the process. You want an attorney who sees the big picture, thinks critically about your case, and who gives you their honest assessment. You can suss that out in an initial consultation by asking big picture questions. Keep in mind you should never be shy away from getting a second opinion from another attorney for the sake of comparison – an honest, knowledgable, and straight-forward attorney will not be concerned about a potential client going and hearing the same information from another source.
5. Are my goals realistic?
This is a question you may not want to hear the answer to, but it’s a critically important question to ask. A great attorney needs to be an expert in the area of the law you’re dealing with and honest with you from the start. If they are an expert and they provide honest advice the two of you can make an informed decision about how to proceed. Given the difficult decisions you may face during the process you do not want a “yes man” as an attorney. The initial consultation is your first opportunity to make sure that you are getting honest and practical advice about the case and how it should be handled. If you aren’t sure that you are getting straightforward advice, then speak with another attorney.
6. Why would you be a good fit for this case?
The most insightful and penetrating question I have ever been asked during an initial consultation was “why were you recommended to me?” a.k.a. “why are you the best attorney for my case?” That question was unexpected and it threw me off at the time, but it’s a great question (and a completely fair question.) If someone can’t tell you at least a couple of reasons that they specifically would be a good fit for your case you should probably keep looking until you find someone that can.
And as a final bonus question, never be afraid to ask:
Will you be the attorney working on the case? Will you be the one appearing in court with me?
Some family law offices have a single attorney and others have dozens of attorneys so it’s never a silly question to ask who will be handling your case and who you will be working with. After all, it doesn’t do much good to have an initial consultation with a fantastic attorney if you never see them again.
These questions aren’t meant to be a comprehensive list of everything you should ask to find a great family law attorney, but hopefully they give you some ideas. You can find some more general thoughts on how to make initial consultations productive here: https://www.dillielaw.com/what-to-ask-at-your-initial-consultation-with-an-attorney/, and check out our other articles here: https://www.dillielaw.com/blog/. If you think I may be a good fit for your case and you would like to set up a consultation with me feel free to contact me about your case at (720) 507-3105 or DillieLawOffice@gmail.com.