The legal representation that you have for your divorce will play a major role in the outcome of your court proceedings. The right advice and advocacy can help you achieve your major goals and avoid the most common pitfalls.
On the other hand, substandard representation might leave you at a disadvantage during negotiations or might result in an ineffective strategy poorly carried out and therefore unfavorable outcomes in property division, support, and child custody matters.
Choosing the right legal team will have a profound impact on the outcome of your divorce and how stressful the process is for you. What characteristics should you look for when choosing your legal team?
Attention to detail and to your concerns
Some law firms treat every divorce case like the same situation, when in reality each divorce is highly unique. For example, Ohio law does have a presumption initially that equal division of your assets would be a good starting point for the process.
However, judges have the authority to look at your marital circumstances and determine that an equal division of your marital property would be unfair. They could grant one spouse significantly more property than the other or make one spouse pay more of the marital debt.
Your legal team needs to understand your situation and your goals if they are to help you develop a strategy that will work in your case.
A willingness to negotiate but the ability to litigate
Some attorneys specialize in mediation and amicable settlements. Others are primarily focused on litigation and contentious cases. For someone in the early stages of divorce, finding an attorney who is proficient at negotiations in collaborative proceedings or in mediation is as important as having an attorney comfortable with litigating and advocating on your behalf in the courtroom.
Good communication according to your needs
Finally, you may want to choose a legal team that will communicate with you in the way you prefer. Perhaps you want to hear about every new development in a timely and thorough manner so that you understand what to expect and know when you need to take action. Attorneys that wait multiple days to pass information on to their clients or to respond to emails can leave someone feeling very stressed.
On the other hand, you may want communication only on major issues to reduce how much time you spend thinking about the divorce. Talking about your communication expectations with your legal team and making sure that you will have the level of support that you desire is key to minimizing your own stress during the divorce.
Thinking about the impact your divorce will have on your long-term happiness and financial stability can help you see the value in carefully evaluating prospective legal teams.