What to expect when you reach out to a family law lawyer?
18 February 2022

January is often known as the divorce month, and several couples, including those with strained relationships, put a brave face for the holiday season, especially if they have kids involved. People consider hiring family lawyers if they are planning to get divorced, and if you are one of them, you need to consider the following things.

• If you are visiting a family lawyer, you should ensure that you speak to your child in a calm and safe environment as you don't want to break the news in haste about your separation as it will impact their mindset and the family.
• You need to also wait for the initial consultation with the family law lawyer as January is typically a busy time for the majority of the law firms as several lawyers return to work after a considerable break and even clients come after a break, so there is a long waiting period so you must be patient.
• Before starting any conversation, you need to understand if you need to pay a consultation fee with a lawyer. Is there any hourly rate full stop? The consultation might be complimentary or involve a discount, but you cannot say anything prior before understanding the terms and conditions.
• You need to understand the date of separation if you are married. The separation date is the reference point used to determine when the marital property would be valued.
• While consulting a lawyer, you need to understand what all issues you need to discuss, like decision making related to your kid's parenting time, spousal support, division of property, etc. the experts will be your best bet as they will help you understand the assets which you have accumulated during the relationship or marriage and also determine the parenting agreements full stop.
• Your lawyer should be your biggest support, so you should feel free to connect with the family law lawyer, and whatever you disclose to them is always confidential. If you want the lawyer to help you in the best possible way, you should disclose all the facts to help you in the best possible way.

The lawyer fees might vary as per the experience, so you need to understand how much experience they hold before hiring one lawyer. After the consultation, if you are satisfied with the plan of action proposed, you can execute a formal agreement.