Having Family Feuds? Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know When Hiring a Family Lawyer

Family conflicts can get pretty messy, especially when it involves wills, custody, or even breaking down relationships, be it between married couples or other family members.

Hence, a family lawyer would be the best person to approach to navigate through the intricacies involved in family law. However, finding a good one can seem like a challenging task, as there are also too many law firms and individual lawyers who would present themselves as capable of handling such kinds of cases.

Of course, if you are dealing with cases that would fall under the Federal Family Law, particularly regarding divorce, property settlement, child custody, etc., you would want to get someone you can trust and who would best represent your interests. To help you, here are the five things you need to know when hiring a family lawyer:

Get To Know Your Prospective Lawyer

In choosing a family lawyer, it is already a given that it is someone that you, the client, will trust. Tackling the case might bring up sensitive family issues in meetings, documents that may show information about the family's past would also be looked into.

However, when it comes to approaching law firms, your first meeting would usually be a senior in the firm, and eventually, he or she would pass on the work to a junior. You will notice another person might be sitting in during the appointment. Usually, senior partners would supervise over cases taken by the law firm and let the juniors handle the paperwork.

When choosing a law firm, you would want one who you know will diligently help you throughout the whole ordeal, from handling paperwork to assisting you in mediations and court hearings. Tonkin Drysdale Partners (TDP) has been handling cases in Australia for over 60 years. Their expertise range from Property Law, Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Personal Injury, Employment Law, and especially Family Law, among others.

TDP is known for having the largest Family Law Team on the Coast, and their service is considered top of the notch. Their legal and support team are highly skilled in negotiations, arbitration, and family court proceedings. TDP also provides expert legal advice and assistance in the following areas:

• Property Settlement
• Custody Arrangements
• Divorce
• Prenuptial Agreements
• Mediation and Conciliation Proceedings

Know What You Want

This applies, not only with what you want to get from your prospective lawyer, but also to what you want out of the case that you are filing. For divorce proceedings, for example, you have to be clear with what you want to achieve or happen during the divorce process. Hence, a family lawyer who specializes mainly in divorce law might work for you.

It might also happen that you might want to approach different alternatives other than traditional legal proceedings throughout the process. For this, you would have to choose a lawyer who would also be flexible regarding your demands as the client.

Go Through Client Reviews

As everything in the present day can be accessible online, anyone can instantly review law firms and individual lawyers' information. Anyone may readily give feedback or quickly contact these law firms or personal lawyers through email or a suggestion box embedded within their websites.

This is a suitable medium for you, a potential client, to go over their portfolio (if it is shown on their webpage) and go through reviews submitted by their previous or ongoing clients. Client reviews can serve as a gauge of the law firm's or individual lawyer's quality of service, track record, or even practices that could either make or break a case.

Character and Reputation is Key

In choosing a family lawyer, it is crucial to pick someone with a good track record, not only performance-wise but also the character and reputation-wise. Professional misconduct is a glaring red flag that one needs to watch out for when choosing a lawyer, as this might be detrimental to the outcome of your case.

The lawyer's attitude should also be one factor to consider, especially as you would be spending a considerable amount of time with your prospective family lawyer. This would involve exchanges personally, on the phone, and online. You would not want to hire someone who would shrug you off and treat your need for service as an inconvenience.

In this scenario, you are the client; after all, you should be the priority, not the lawyer.

Consider the Fees and If It Is Within Your Means

Lastly, you need to overview the cost of services and legal advice that your prospective lawyer and the law firm would expect to receive. Big-time firms also would require a hefty amount of money when it comes to hiring their team.

Some individual lawyers would give free legal advice in the beginning. You may also consider approaching family lawyers with who you are close or is also a relative or an intimate acquaintance. This way, you can get a "discount" for their services, if they will allow.

Takeaway

Choosing a family lawyer for your case might seem like a daunting task, but with research, diligent searching, and thorough screening, you might just find the one you are looking for. Hopefully, the tips enumerated above will help you in finding the counsel who can best serve you and help you succeed in your family situation.