Divorce is incredibly common in the U.S. with rates of around 41% for first marriages and around 60% for second marriages. Given that a divorce doesn’t only affect those directly involved in the separation, but also more than a million children of divorced parents each year, it’s not a decision to take lightly. Divorce is a difficult decision that does not only result in expensive litigation, but often has severe psychological effects on those involved. For example, a study conducted by the University of Cincinnati in August 2012 found that men, more often than women, are likely to turn to drinking after a divorce.
In the U.S., many couples opt to find a divorce attorney, with some seeking specifics like a divorce attorney for men only or a divorce attorney for women only. Regardless of your personal criteria, sorting through divorce attorneys to hire a lawyer you can trust is not necessarily simple. Here, we’ll discuss how to find a divorce lawyer you can trust.
- Decide if it’s really necessary for you to hire a lawyer. Ninety percent of divorces in the U.S. are settled out of court, using a mediator. If your divorce is relatively amicable, you may not really need to pursue the process.
- Give yourself some time. Agree with your spouse not to take any steps affecting either of your financial situations without giving the other person notice and reasonable time to respond. This will allow you to take your time to hire a lawyer and will give you some peace of mind during the process.
- Familiarize yourself with your state’s divorce laws online. This will make your search process and your divorce much simpler.
- Decide what type of attorney you want. Each divorce attorney for is different. Do you want an aggressive attorney who will fight to get all the things on your list or one who will simply file paperwork and manage the process?
- Get recommendations before you hire a lawyer. Call the state bar association and talk to friends and family. You’ll want to choose a divorce attorney for women who comes highly recommended.
- Conduct interviews. You should talk with at least three attorneys before you hire a lawyer.
The divorce process is always a little scary, but finding the right person to help you through the process can help. Be sure to do your research and choose one who you know you can trust.
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My divorce attorney was awful. I wish I had looked around more instead of just going with the one I’d heard of most.