M Roger


Many single parents will need the services of a family law attorney at some point. Separation, divorce, death of a partner, modifying a visitation agreement or child support order are just a few of the times to seek out a family law attorney. However, many of us have little experience with attorneys. The following will give you some general information on how to select and what to expect from a family law attorney.

Where Do I Find an Attorney?

The phone book – Look under the Family Law section in the yellow pages. Here you will find a wide selection of attorneys. There are attorneys who specialize in the representation of men or the representation of women. Some attorneys specialize in a particular component of family law, for instance custody. There are attorneys that are Christian focused, and some that offer payment plans. Many offices will give you a free phone consultation.

The library – Ask to see the Martindale & Hubbell Law Directory. This directory lists most lawyers and areas of practices within the United States.

State or Local Bar Association – Most operate a Lawyer Referral Service. After asking you to briefly describe the facts of your case, they will refer you to attorneys in your area. Tell the attorney you were referred from the State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service and you will often get a half-hour consultation at no charge. The referral service does not give legal advice.

Network – Ask friends, family, and co-workers for names of attorneys they would recommend. Ask friends who have used a family law attorney if their attorney did a good job and if they would hire him/her again.

Legal Aid Offices – If lack of money is a problem call your local legal aid office to determine if you qualify for representation. Your income has to be below a certain point to qualify for most services. Legal aid organizations often have restrictions on case acceptance. For instance, they may only take domestic violence cases. If they are not accepting your type of case ask them to refer you to pro bono attorney programs. These are local attorneys who have agreed to provide free legal representation to eligible persons, usually lower income. Like legal aid, some have restrictions on case acceptance.



 

Shop around for an attorney just as you would a doctor. You want them to be knowledgeable in family law but you also want to feel comfortable working with them. Some things to consider besides their expertise in family law:

 



Do they have weekend or evening appointments? This is important when you work full-time.

Are their offices fairly close to where you live or work? Single parent time is stretched to the limit. You want one located in a convenient location.



 

The Initial Consultation:



Many attorneys offer a free initial consultation. This is usually half-hour to listen to an overview of your case and give you options on how to proceed.

-Create a “cheat sheet” – Write down the main facts of your case and put them in chronological order. Also, list the questions you have about your case. Bring it to your initial consultation. Refer to your sheet when speaking with the attorney. It will ensure that you don’t forget to tell the attorney something important.

Some Questions to Ask in the Initial Consultation:

 



How long have you practiced family law?

Do you have experience dealing with cases similar to mine?

If all goes well, how long will it take for my case to be resolved?

What should I expect? What will be happening step-by-step?

How can I be sure I get my child support, visitation, etc?

What are the best case and worst case scenarios in regards to the outcome of my case?

How much will this cost?

How do you bill?

How Do Attorney’s Charge?



 

Some attorney’s charge by the hour and some will charge you one lump sum when your case is completed. Some of the common ways lawyers bill for their services:

Retainer Fee: advance payment to the lawyer for a portion of their fee.

Contingency Fee: an agreed upon percentage of any money obtained through settlement, trial or negotiation.

Hourly Fee: the lawyer’s hourly rate. They will take their hourly rate and multiply the number of hours worked on your case.

Fixed Fee: a specific amount of money charged for a specific service.

Cost advance: reoccurring advance payment for on-going expenses related to the case.

Mixed fee: A combination of contingency and hourly fees.



How Will the Attorney Bill Me?



If the attorney charges an hourly fee ask how often they bill. A monthly invoice is common. Ask for a detailed monthly billing statement that specifies what services the attorney provided and how much time they spent on each service. Do not accept a bill that says: ” service rendered.” This doesn’t tell you what you are being charged for. Be assertive. If you don’t understand your bill ask the attorney to explain If the attorney charges a fixed fee ask if they have payment plans. Paying a little each month is easier to budget than paying one lump sum.

Hiring the Attorney:



When you decide to hire an attorney you will sign a retainer agreement. This is a document that states what services the attorney will perform and what the fees for the service will be.

If you accept the fees and understand the services to be performed then, and only then, should you sign the retainer. Find out if the quoted fee includes court costs, copying costs, and filing fees or if these services will be extra charges.

Do not sign the retainer unless you understand all the terms of the agreement!

After You Have Hired the Attorney:



-Be prepared and organized for each appointment.

-Obtain the documentation your attorney has asked for.

-Put in writing what you want out of the case. For instance, what property you want, how much child support, etc. Give this to your attorney. Ask what problems you face in getting what you want.

-Create a folder labeled “Attorney”. Keep all correspondence and documentation relating to your case in the file so it will be easily accessible.

-Write down what you want to ask your attorney before you call him. This will ensure you don’t forget anything. It will also help you stay on track since most attorneys will charge for time spent on the phone.

-Listen carefully to what the attorney says and make notes if necessary so you can review them later.



Selecting and hiring an attorney is an important decision. You should research your selections carefully. He should be receptive to your questions and keep you informed about each step in the proceedings. If you do not feel that your attorney is representing you in the best possible manner than dismiss his services and find another attorney. Remember, the attorney works for you!

 

Start an Online Petition now if you feel you are being misguided.



Allison

Low Jeremy


In North Carolina, finding a good child custody lawyer is not that easy. This is because of two reasons.

The first reason is that the best ones are usually occupied with a lot of things and cases that they do not have enough time left to take care of other cases. This may be because not every lawyer have the ability to get a good verdict when it comes to child custody. So people in North Carolina are relying on those with sufficient experience and capability to help them win their case.

The second reason is that laws in North Carolina are made by legislature. The judges only purpose is to make sure that they are followed by the letter. The rulings that are made in child custody cases have no effect on those that are made by other judges in likewise the same case.

From these reasons alone, you will know why it is that important to find and have a good lawyer represent every couple in their child custody cases if they are located in North Carolina.

If ever you are one of those living in North Carolina and is on the process of separating from your spouse, here are some things you need to consider when you are looking out for a lawyer to handle your child custody case.

1. Good lawyers come with high fees.

Since this is one of the cases that involves the happiness and well-being of your child or children, it is important that you take every action necessary to make everything work out well.

Looking for a good child custody lawyer in North Carolina does not come cheap. You will find that there are those who charge a huge amount of money on an hourly basis. That is why it is vital that you know first and foremost if you an afford the lawyer you have chosen. The price that you will be paying is only fair if you are going after the expertise and the qualities that the best lawyer can give.

Child custody in North Carolina can be a tedious, complex and long process. This is why you need the best lawyer to handle your case. You will need the services of a lawyer who knows the ropes and also knows how to get by the difficult system.

Paying the high fee for all these things is already an assurance that you can have a fair trial that you and your child can benefit from.

Once you have found the lawyer of your choice, you can start asking important questions regarding how child custody works in North Carolina. The answers that the lawyer gives will determine what kind of case you will be having and the consequences it will lead to.

2. A well-written and legal contract you have read and signed.

Having a contract about the fees and services that the child custody lawyer is one way of avoiding any future misunderstanding that may arise.

If you know the lawyer personally, you may not need to take this precaution. But if you do not, a contract is your assurance that everything will go about as you have talked and planned.

Before signing any document, you need to make sure that the lawyer knows about the laws that North Carolina dictates regarding child custody. You might end up paying someone that is not well versed on how child custody in North Carolina works.



Lara

Jean Mahserjian


Clients often ask if a Florida “Easy Divorce” is attainable. Of course it is – whenever both husband and wife can agree to make the process work. A Florida “Easy Divorce” will not be possible if one of the parties wants to make things difficult. Just like every other state, Florida has mandatory rules that have to be met in order to be awarded a divorce. There is just no getting around this.

It can be asked, how might one of the spouses obstruct the Florida “Easy Divorce”? By contesting matters which need to be consented to, including divorce grounds, or in contesting matters including (a) how the property will be divided, (b) how the children’s residence will be decided & when each parent will have parenting time, or (c) how much child support should be remitted under the law.

Each and every issue that is required to be addressed to obtain the Florida divorce could be contested. And so, if either party would like to to delay or prevent an “Easy Divorce”, that is very possible.

Conversely, every family law matter can be resolved by an agreement. When both you and your spouse can agree to a Florida divorce, you must amicably agree on all of the outstanding issues and then the parties can enter into a Florida “Easy Divorce”. And so, the first topic that you need to resolve ought to be whether each of the parties will actually work out the issues in order to obtain a Florida “Easy Divorce”.

After both parties have agreed that you would like to obtain a Florida “Easy Divorce”, the two of you should figure out the best way to get the required court documents finished, served and filed. One common way to accomplish this is to retain a single lawyer to represent both parties and to finish the court documents. Some individuals are not comfortable working with just one attorney and prefer to have independent advise from their own attorney. But, it is also common to engage two attorneys and to direct one attorney to prepare all of the Florida divorce court documents that are necessary, then have the other attorney review the divorce documents.

Another way to acquire a Florida “Easy Divorce” is to agree to use one of the online divorce or separation forms services to obtain all of the papers that are necessary. You may locate an online divorce or separation forms service from one of the many that are available today. When you employ such a divorce service, you can rest assured that you will be obtaining the divorce documents that are pertinent to the state of Florida.

If you and your spouse want to use an online divorce or separation forms service to take care of your Florida “Easy Divorce”, you have your choice of hiring a service provider from three different type of services that are available. One type of online divorce or separation forms service will send you the blank forms for a Florida divorce. All of these blank forms arrive accompanied by instructions on how to complete them with the proper information, however, you will have to complete them on your own.

An alternative type of service is an online divorce or separation forms “complete form preparation” service. This kind of service will ask that you or your spouse fill out a questionnaire concerning your marriage. Then, this kind of online divorce or separation forms service would actually complete all of the necessary Florida divorce forms for you and return them to you with instructions on how you should go about filing all of the divorce documents. The third type of online divorce or separation forms service is a “complete” service provider and usually this type of service is provided by law firms. This category of online divorce or separation forms service will have you complete questionnaires, complete the necessary forms for your matter, get all of the necessary signatures from both parties, and then file the legal papers that are required by law. This type of divorce service is usually more expensive than the other types because you or your spouse must actually pay all of the mandated state filing fees to this service. When using the other two types of online divorce or separation forms services, you or your spouse must pay all of the filing fees directly to the court because you submit all of your own forms.



James

Charles Shaw


Vallejo Family law is the name given to the branch of civil law that a family lawyer or a Vallejo family law lawyer covers. Basically, a Vallejo family law lawyer spends 99% of their fime with divorces, but here’s what a Vallejo family law lawyer would say if you asked them what they do…

I handle all sorts of law including, but not limited to: the legal relationships among family members, including husbands, wives, parents, children, and domestic partners. As a Vallejo family law lawyer, I specialize in the family law relationships which encompass adoption, child custody, visitation rights, and domestic violence. As a Vallejo family law lawyer, I also litigate cases involving divorce, juvenile dependency and delinquency, marital property rights, support obligations, and paternity.

If you’re thinking of meeting with a Vallejo family law lawyer, this is a comprehensive list of everything you might need

1. Information about your marital status:

All marriage information (past and present).

2. Personal information about you and your spouse:

Full names and dates of birth of all your children (natural and adopted).

Full legal names and contact information.

Date and place of births.

3. Summary of your assets:

You need to tell your Vallejo family law lawyer the location of safety deposit box and important papers.

You need to tell your Vallejo family law lawyer the Location of cash, bank accounts, securities, deeds, etc., with account numbers.

4. Summary of debts

You need to tell your Vallejo family law lawyer about any any debts, such as loans, guarantees, promissory notes, mortgages, and amount owed and to whom (include held by you for others).

5. Outline of legacies and legatees.

Do you have alternative legatees (beneficiaries) in case designated legatees predecease you or cannot be located?

To whom do you want specific bequests to go and the details of each bequest?

Who are important persons or organizations in your life and why?

In the event that you and your spouse (and/or children) are killed in a common disaster (e.g. auto or plane crash), how do you want your estate to be distributed?

Do you have minor children or disabled children? At what age do you want your children to have access to their bequest?

Do you have any forced heirs (children who have not attained age 24 or are not physically or mentally capable of caring for their estates)?

Have you considered setting up a testamentary trust to have some or all of your assets in your estate managed on your death on behalf of your spouse, children or other persons?

6. Names of people in your will who will represent your interests?

The names of your executor, trustee, lawyer and guardian for minor children with alternates and their contact information.

Do they know that you have designated them and the location of your legal documents.

7. Other information to obtain:

You need to tell your Vallejo family law lawyer if you have considered a “living will” and “power of attorney”?

Where do you want to leave the original copy of your will? (i.e. safety deposit box, lawyer, trust company).

You need to tell your Vallejo family law lawyer the names and addresses of your financial or personal/business advisers, lawyer and/or trust company

What are your burial wishes and funeral service instructions?

Have you discussed your will with a tax accountant and financial planner to make sure you have taken advantage of all tax and estate planning strategies available?

Does your spouse have a will? If so, when was it signed, where is it located, and when was it last reviewed?



Judy

Low Jeremy


There are important things you need to remember if ever you find yourself in need of a child custody lawyer if you are in Tennessee. These things will prove to be very vital in your case if you are after the welfare and happiness of your children.

1. Do not give tell just anyone about confidential information.

The best person who can trust to give out all important data and facts is your Tennessee child custody lawyer. Your lawyer is the only person you can put your trust into.

In having yourself a Tennessee lawyer to handle your child custody case, you are assured that you have the full support of that person to listen to what you have to say. Once all the information are clear, your Tennessee lawyer will see to it that you will have a fair fight in getting child custody.

Lawyers have an oath not to talk about the things that clients tell them. Unlike some of the friends you have confided into. You will realize that things like this tend to spread once the word is out.

Up until now, divorce is still one of the hottest topic for discussion among many people. Never mind the fact that it is rampant already. This is the same case with child custody. Everybody wants to get a piece about what is going on in your family. And sooner or later it will have its effect on you and your children. That is why, if you want to discuss these things, you have to first find yourself a good lawyer to confide in.

2. Do not assume anything will go in your way.

You can not expect that your spouse will not file a child custody case and leave the children in your care. You do not know what he or she is thinking even if you think that you know the person well. You may want the same things and will do everything in your power to achieve what you want.

This is the reason why you have to get a Tennessee child custody lawyer the soonest possible time. This way, you will have someone giving you sound advice on what action you should take.

You never know what steps your spouse have already taken that is why you need to take some actions yourself. When it comes to your children, you need to make sure that you have thought about all the important things that will settle their future. If you think you can make that happen, then you have to do what it takes to be assured that you win your case.

3. Look for legal advice if you cannot pay the fees for a lawyer.

It cannot be denied that getting yourself a Tennessee child custody lawyer is not cheap. But there are other options you can take if you are really serious about winning your case.

You can always seek legal help from those who know more about child custody and how it can work. You can ask for their advice regarding the necessary steps that you have to take to have custody over your child.

If you are lucky enough, maybe you can find a Tennessee who will fight for your child custody case to be paid later on when you have the money set aside. As far as these cases are concerned, there are still those persons who want to help more than other things. Tennessee lawyers are no exception.



Charlene