Your divorce lawyer is not your personal therapist. This is not the person to be talking to if you have any unaddressed emotional or psychological issues. They are only there to assist you legally.

Your divorce lawyer is not a minister or priest. If you really need spiritual advice, your lawyer is not going to cut it.

Your divorce lawyer should absolutely not represent both you and your spouse. There is just no way to be completely neutral to both parties. It is true that an attorney can represent one side with the other continuing without a lawyer. You should however be extremely cautious of any lawyer claiming they can represent both sides in a divorce.

Choosing the correct family law firm can help you retain your financial security. But, choosing the wrong one can cause you to lose assets that you should retain. Worst of all an incompetent lawyer could also cause you to lose your parental rights as well.

What you want is a knowledgeable attorney that is willing to fight tooth and nail for you. They should also walk you through the entire process and respect what you need during this hard time. Many times litigants will change lawyers multiple times before the case is even concluded. The reason being is that they do not put in the time or effort to properly find the right family law firm.

The process of divorce when you take it down to its essence is simply two people coming to an agreement about no longer staying married and figuring out how to best live their lives apart. Throughout this there are several key things that need to be resolved:

Parenting Schedules, Financial Support and Child Custody – You need an experienced family lawyer to handle this area as it is very complex.

Finance Matters – Money, banking accounts, money market funds and anything relating to your joint finances

Retirement Finances – IRAs, pensions, pre-determined retirement plans and anything relating to your retirement

Property – All tangible items including cars, jewelry, tools, furniture, photographs and all personal property needs to be sorted out

Life Insurance – Whole life insurance policies have cash value

Your Debts – I know that no one wants to take responsibility of the financial debts that come from a marriage but this is a complicated and critical subject for your lawyer to handle.

Spousal Support – Sometimes spousal support is granted if one party earns more money than the other in comparison. The length of the marriage will also determine how much is paid for spousal support.

The family law firm that you choose should fit the following criteria and should follow these standards:

Complete Knowledge Of Family Law

Without a doubt the overall thing you want in a family law attorney is knowledge of family law. Experienced family law firms will not only be familiar with the law but will also be up to date on legal trends and the legal system in general. A good lawyer will be able to handle any emergency that might come up during your case and handle it effortlessly.

Comfort Level

You are after all paying for their services so you should be at ease and always treated with respect. Often going with your instincts will help you choose the right lawyer. It is very important that you feel comfortable with your attorney so you don’t hesitate to ask about anything, no matter how trivial you think it is.

Do They Want To Win?

Although this can be pretty difficult to figure out during your first visit it is much more likely that they will be aggressive and determined to win for you if they are exited at the onset. A disinterested lawyer will miss many facts about your case.

Do They Have Support?

Any good family law firm has multiple staff members including other attorneys and paralegals. The more complicated your case the more assistance will be needed. Oftentimes specialists are called in to help your case. Having the proper people supporting them will allow your lawyer to be more focused.

Divorce can be a very stressful and emotionally painful experience. In a difficult time such as this it’s not only tough on you but on your family as well. Now is not the time to have the additional stress of wondering if you picked the right lawyer.

The lawyer that you have representing you should not be an obstacle. They should be experienced, strong and ready to fight for you and your best interests. With a good lawyer at your side you can focus on your family’s emotional status. You will only make this time harder on yourself by not carefully choosing the right lawyer.

C. Todd Marks is an attorney who believes in an environment that shows respect and professionalism not only to their clients, but also to their adversaries and their counsel. By doing so they establish goodwill that ultimately benefits their clients.

The best divorce lawyer will also be the most competent person to handle and sort out the alimony settlement of the spouse whom he is representing. The spouse who has hired the better lawyer will definitely be in a stronger position to bargain for justified alimony rights and can tilt the case in their favor. The divorce cases involve many legal loopholes that only an experienced lawyer can discern and handle with care. The best divorce lawyer is also well equipped to deal with the emotional situation of the client and in tough times like this it is often that the lawyer becomes the client’s best friend and emotional support.

A divorce is always an unpleasant situation but however when the couple has no chances of a positive reconciliation it is perhaps the best way to go separate ways. Divorce under such circumstances is not only the best option but is also inevitable sooner or later. So it is the most practical way to hire the services of the best divorce lawyer and settle out the divorce proceedings in a manner most advantageous to the client. A divorce should not be considered as the end of a life but rather as a fresh opportunity given to the individuals to start their life all over again.

DeMent Askew, LLP’s established reputation for success in the courtroom is grounded on their attorneys’ longstanding commitment to providing clients with the best possible representation they can offer. For more than 40 years, their skilled trial lawyers have stood ready to protect their client’s rights in all of North Carolina’s civil and criminal courts, both state and federal. As a client of DeMent Askew, LLP, you get straight talk, straight answers and a thorough explanation of your options. They don’t make promises they can’t keep, and they won’t back down when your rights are at stake. The Raleigh attorneys of DeMent Askew, LLC focus on criminal defense, dwi, personal injury, family law and real estate law in North Carolina. Whatever your legal problem, they can help you understand your rights and make the best possible decisions for yourself and your family. In most cases, there is no charge for an initial consultation.

Organize your documents:

One of the first things your divorce attorney is going to request that you do is organize a list of your marital assets and liabilities. Therefore, organizing your documents is one of the most effective things you can do before you talk to a lawyer.To get well organized you’ll need written evidence proving all assets and liabilities you and your spouse own. Examples of the kind of documents you’ll want include bank statements, credit card statements, loan documents, deeds, car titles, etc.

You should also have copies of your tax returns for the last few years, statements for your retirement accounts, pension plans and IRA accounts.
You want to give special attention to documenting any property you brought into the marriage or received as part of an inheritance. That property is your separate property and is not distributed with the marital estate. You do, however, need the documents to prove that it’s your separate property.

Set your priorities:

It’s very easy to get bogged down in the process of obtaining a divorce. You can avoid that by determining priorities. In other words, determine what is important to you. Accept the fact that all the marital assets will be divided. You just need to determine what you want to keep and what you’re willing to let your spouse have. But don’t get carried away. You won’t be able to keep everything you want. Your spouse will also get some things.

Be reasonable:

Approaching your divorce as a rational person will help you resolve the case rapidly. You would like to get on with the rest of your life, wouldn’t you? To be rational you’ll have to think of what’s important to your spouse, not just what’s important to you. While you may detest your spouse, you still have to achieve an agreement on the division of marital property, the residence, child custody, support and visitation. A huge part of the success of such agreements depends on how rational you are in the negotiation process.

Don’t forget that you’re paying your divorce lawyer by the hour. You’ll be able to finish your case quickly, keep your legal costs low and maintain your personal sanity if you’ll simply get organized before you file, determine your priorities in the case and maintain a reasonable approach in your negotiations.