Lake City Child Custody Attorney - The Interview

[Willard Gerard]

One of the most important steps in a child custody case is your
interview with the Lake City child custody attorney.
Once you have gathered the names of several family lawyers, you will
have to shortlist them and then hire one. Every lawyer has a different
psychological make-up and approach, and so it becomes important for
you to meet up with the short-listed lawyers and interview them before
settling for one, and here is how you should go about the interview
process:
1. Normally, a Lake City child custody attorney will agree for an
interview, unless they represent a large and reputed firm. They may
charge you a small fee - $25 to $50 - which is a small price to pay to
know if the lawyer is right for you. Some child custody lawyers may
not charge anything for the interview.
2. You must make it a point to diligently interview about 3-4 lawyers,
because your and your family's future depends on the outcome of the
case.
3. The first thing you must ask the lawyer is about his background,
knowledge, experience and proficiency. Ask him about his success
stories, how long he has been practicing, what's been his toughest
case till date and how he tackled it, and which association he is
affiliated to. When you check on the experience, make sure to find out
how much experience he has in solving cases similar to yours.
4. Find out the lawyer's style of working, things such as: Is he
overly aggressive? Does he have so many cases that he can't handle
them? Will he give equal time to your case like he does to the others?
Will he assign your case to juniors? Who will answer your phone calls?
And whether you will get duplicate copies of all the relevant
correspondence.
5. If you are okay with the Lake City child custody attorney's
replies, you then have to ask him specific questions related to the
case - ask him what he thinks of your case, how long will it take to
reach a satisfactory conclusion, what are your chances of winning the
child custody case (this will be an opinion - no lawyer can ever
guarantee a win), what kind of judgments have been there on trials
that are similar to yours, how will evaluations be handled (when child
custody is disputed), and whether mediation will be required. Feel
free to ask him any question that's bugging you.
6. Ask the Lake City lawyer what he expects you to do, what decisions
does he expect you to make, and what will be the consequence if at all
you have a problem with him during the case.
7. Enquire about his or her fees - ask if he charges by the hour and,
if yes, then what is his rate; then ask him or her about the other
expenses too, which include paralegal work, filing fees, calls,
letters, etc. Ask him how much he has charged in similar cases in the
past and what his retainer will be. If he takes a retainer, then ask
him what happens to it if it is not used. Round off the questions on
the fees by asking him if you can pay in installments.
Many people quickly freeze on a family lawyer if they are satisfied
with the interview. That is a mistake, because you must never hire the
first lawyer you meet. Along with that, here are some other mistakes
you shouldn't make when it comes to hiring a good family lawyer:
i) Hire a family lawyer simply because he comes cheap.ii) Hire a
family lawyer who practices family law part-time.iii) Hire a family
lawyer only at the last minute, when they need help in a
settlement.iv) Hire a family lawyer who is known to, or is
representing, their ex.
These interviews with your Lake City child custody attorney are very
important and you must make sure they are the right match for you.