Hundreds of Divorce Lawyers – How to Hire One
Sometimes love does not conquer all and marriages come to an end. Separation and eventual divorce from your spouse is often the most difficult thing that most individuals have ever had to endure especially if there are minor children involved. Adding to that strain, are the financial and property issues that come with the end of the marital unit. Your rights to see your children, share in the financial resources of your marriage and retirement income are at stake. The decisions you make at this time could be with you for years to come. You need a voice to stand up for you in this highly emotional time.
A query on google for a divorce lawyer in the Maryland area yields approximately 11 million search results.Naturally, the results are not indicative of the number lawyers, but it gives you an idea of how many sites have the term divorce lawyer as relevant issue with a significant portion reflection lawyer websites. It goes beyond the first advertising you see on the page. Beyond the first couple of names and phone numbers you find on what is known as the google places/local pack. There are a hundreds if not a thousand or more choices in terms of personal injury lawyers especially if you live in or near a large metropolitan area. So how do you choose who will help you with your personal injury claim?
Differentiating between Divorce Lawyers and Those Who Take the Occasional Case
Obviously, every case is different. Some are simple ans straightforward. Others require a little more diligence and time to resolve. If you and your spouse have little or no assets or retirement accounts to divide, maybe you can roll the dice with a part-timer who rarely takes on divorce cases. But if you have a highly contentious custody issue and property division of significant assets that you worked for your whole marriage, you want a knowledgeable advocate by your side. You need someone who understands all aspects of your case including knowing what he or she does not know and therefore is likely to seek advice from more experience colleagues or hire an outside expert to help you with your case.
Experience with Divorce Cases in the City or County you live in.
Divorce lawyers appear before magistrates and judges on a regular basis. The family magistrates unlike some judges do not rotate to other types of case of over time. Therefore, experience divorce lawyers will appear and argue cases over the same handful of magistrates over and over time again. There is no substitute for this experience and the rapport built over time. Knowing what each magistrate prefers and how they are likely to rule is helpful when cases where the facts are not as clear cut. Judges are the same way in that over time you can learn what a particular judge likes and how he tends to rule.
In divorce cases, magistrates and judges have broad discretion to interpret and translate the evidence presented before them in accordance with vague terms such as the best interests of the children. While there are factors that act as recipe for determining custody there is no requirement that each factor be considered, leaving the judge to decide what factor(s) is most relevant in particular case. Therefore, familiarity with the court and the judges can play a pivotal role in presenting evidence in a way that is going to be received in a favorable manner
The Lawyer Knows The Area of Law
Experienced divorce lawyers are knowledgeable about the law and work hard to stay up to date with changes such as attending continuing legal education seminar which someone doing it on a part-time basis may not be doing. If you only handle a handful of divorce cases, you may see little value in attending an evening seminar with a judge and other practitioners make presentations simply because the return on your investment is not that great. But a lawyer handles divorce cases on a regular basis can implement the strategies presented by the judge and others across all his or her cases. Beyond the substantive learning acquired, there is also opportunity to get a feel for a magistrate or judge in a more informal setting that may come in handy at trial.
Battle Tested – Being Able to Advocate Successfully in Court
Lawyers who focus in divorce and custody cases cases review numerous time sharing plans, financial statements, asset valuations and retirement accounts in any given year. Therefore, they are familiar with most of the issues that may arise in your case and can present the information in a digestible way at trial. Not every case require complex financial analysis, but if you have privately held business with limited paper trial, it helps to know your way around numbers. The other side will not be able to play down income when you can demonstrate where the numbers just don’t add up. Having this ability is crucial in unpacking and relaying important financial information to a judge or magistrate. The more hearings you do the more comfortable and effective you are likely to be. Furthermore, if opposing counsel knows you have not hesitation to try the right case, the more likely that the parties will settle cases where the facts warrant it by presenting reasonable comprises.
