What makes a good divorce lawyer?

The notion of the “best” divorce attorneys is a subjective matter. Each case is a different endeavor, with particular requirements and parameters. There are, however, common qualities that often combine to make a good divorce lawyer.

One of the most important decisions you may make during this process is hiring a lawyer to represent you and your interests. More than finding what someone else thinks is the best divorce lawyer, you should search for one who best fits the needs of your case.

Related Reading: The Average Cost of Divorce in Washington

What to Look For In A Divorce Attorney

As we said, it’s most important to find representation that suits you, your case, and your specific circumstances. It can be a daunting search. In the end, however, choosing the right lawyer for your situation will be well worth the time and effort.

At Goldberg Jones in Seattle, our managing attorney plays matchmaker in a way. He pairs clients with the lawyer he believes to be the best fit for their situation.

While each case is unique, there are qualities that great divorce lawyers have in common. This list is far from exhaustive, but here are qualities to consider when looking for representation.

Related Experience:

Everyone has to start somewhere, but with a matter as important as your divorce, you want to put yourself in sturdy, practiced hands if possible. Knowing your attorney has experience with the distinctive elements of your case can be a huge comfort.

Trusting that your lawyer has seen similar situations before and is well aware of how to proceed goes a long way toward easing your stress level and soothing your state of mind. For example, if you have custody issues, look for an attorney with experience in that area.

Good Communication Skills:

There will likely be a great deal of back-and-forth between the two sides during your divorce. Your attorney needs to sit down with you, hear your wants, desires, and needs, and communicate them to the other side in a clear, concise manner.

Listening skills, confidence speaking in public, and being able to accurately convey information and articulate your stance are essential parts of this process.

People Skills:

Going hand in hand with strong communication, the best divorce attorneys need to employ excellent interpersonal and social skills. Divorce is an emotional situation. Tempers flare and things quickly become tense and heated.

Depending on how contentious the proceedings become, the ability to maintain composure, calm intense feelings, and retain an even, professional demeanor and civility in tough times all come into play. Being a people person helps smooth out these tense interactions.

Analytical And Research Skills:

Preparing a legal strategy is complicated. Each case involves a large volume of facts, documents, records, and more. Your lawyer needs to absorb and interpret all of this material.

From there, he or she must organize the information, distill it down, and determine the best way to move forward.

Being able to make sense of all of the pertinent factors, how they impact the divorce, and to quickly and effectively research the legal questions in play, are important attributes for the best divorce lawyers to possess.

Judgment:

With the massive amount of information divorce attorneys ingest, processing everything logically is also key. This becomes crucial to developing a strategy.

Being able to critically examine the particulars helps when it comes to identifying potential weak spots in an argument, both yours and theirs, and reinforcing your bargaining position.

Impeccable judgment comes into play in decision-making. There will often be little time for indecisiveness, and your best interests hang in the balance of each choice.

Creativity:

As much as logical thinking, judgment, and analytical skills figure into your divorce proceedings, creative problem-solving and the ability to improvise on the fly are also important qualities to look for in a divorce attorney.

Problems and roadblocks appear out of nowhere. Great lawyers possess the ability to think on their feet and present innovative, rational, reasonable solutions when the need arises.

Dedication:

Even in the simplest cases, divorce is not a quick or easy process. Depending on the situation, you may be in for a long, drawn-out legal action.

The best divorce attorneys will be dedicated and willing to put in the time and energy to see it through. (Even just becoming a lawyer in the first place shows a remarkable level of commitment.)

Cases often involve long hours of deliberation, in-depth research, and extended mediation sessions. This requires a great deal of perseverance on your lawyer’s part.

Competitiveness:

Divorce isn’t always hyper-contentious, but even in the best of times, if both sides enlist the help of an attorney, there’s likely at least some degree of conflict.

Your lawyer’s job is to represent your voice and interests and to ensure as many of your conditions are met as possible.

In this situation, a little competitive spirit and a hate-to-lose attitude may not be the worst trait. We like to use the term, ‘appropriately aggressive’. It’s important to know when to fight, but also when it might be better to ease off the throttle.

Every divorce is different. The best divorce attorney for you may not be the best divorce attorney for everyone else.

Circumstances and the specifics of your situation will likely influence what you look for when seeking out representation, but many great family law practitioners do share these common traits.

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