What To Expect When First Meeting With A Family Law Attorney – 2023 Guide

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The beginning of a legal process that involves your family is never an easy one. No matter if you are going through a divorce, if you are filing for custody, considering adoption, or terminating parental rights, these are all extremely complex cases that can take a lot of time, and can bring a lot of stress. The easiest way to go through the whole process is to have someone you trust next to you, and someone who is going to fight for your best interest. Finding the right legal advisor is not as easy as it sounds, and the first meeting with them is usually the one when you decide if they are the right person to handle your case, or if it is better for you to continue your search. Finding the best lawyer is crucial, and in this article, we are going to talk about the things you should expect when you have the initial consultation with a family law attorney.

How much time is the meeting going to take?

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The first thing that you should know is the duration of the consultation. Know that even though this is the first meeting you are going to have with your potential legal advisor, it will not be something that will be short. Most consultations take about 90 minutes, but it all depends on your case and the complexity of it. Some may take about an hour, while others can be up to two hours.

Know that some of the lawyers will require you to pay for the initial consultation, while others offer the first meeting for free.

What are you going to talk about?

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This is the biggest question everyone has, and we all want to know what are we going to talk about when we first meet our family law attorney. Even though it all depends on your case and the legal advisor you’ve chosen, they will usually ask you for the details of your case.

No matter if you are going through a divorce, or if you want to talk about the custody of your children, the legal advisor will ask you for more detail that will help them understand your situation better.

They will ask if you and the other parties have reached any type of agreement, or if the case is going to be more complex. In addition to this, they will give you more information on the whole process, what you should expect, and what are the things you should consider.

According to Kabir Family Law, the legal specialists will offer you advice, support, and assistance, they will help you understand the legal options you have, and they will help you get what is in your best interest.

Before you have your initial consultation, ask your legal advisor if you need to bring any documents and if yes, what you should bring. This way they will have a better understanding of your case, and they will be able to give you a better estimate on the whole process, as well as the costs.

What are your options?

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Many people think that when it comes to family matters, everything will be left to the judge and that they will have no say in it. In reality, things are much different. When you talk to your potential legal advisor, they will walk you through the whole procedure and they will tell you more about the things that you can choose to do or avoid.

Know that when all sides cannot come to a mutual agreement, no matter what the case is about, the judge is the one who is going to have the last word. However, you always have the mediation and the settlement options, and you can be the one who makes the choice.

Your lawyer will help you decide if you want to agree on the settlement; if that is going to beneficial for you, or if you should offer something different.

Deciding on the attorney

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When you first meet with a family law advisor, it does not have to mean that they will be the person who is going to represent you. This initial meeting is for you to talk about everything, including your case and their fee.

During this meeting, you need to ask if the attorney has the time to take your case if they are going to be the one handling it, and how much is their rate. You should also ask about additional charges, and how much money will the whole thing cost you. Know that the lawyer can never give you an exact number because it all depends on too many things, but they can give you an estimate.

Depending on how the consult goes, on their rate, your case, and if you think they are the best attorney to go with, you can either choose to continue the collaboration and hire them or if you should continue looking for the right person to represent you.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

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The last thing you need to know is that it is okay to ask questions. Even though in this initial consultation you will be the one who will do most of the talking, your potential legal advisor will give you an outline of what is going to happen, how, and they will try to give you more information about the procedure.

Know that if there is anything you don’t understand or are confused about, you should always ask your questions. This is your future that you are talking about, so you should never leave things unclear. There are no wrong questions, and you should understand everything completely.

The only thing you need to remember is that this process will help you choose the best lawyer for you and for your case, and you should take your time choosing the right representative. Even though this may seem scary, you will see that the attorney will walk you through the whole thing, and you will only need to answer their questions.

In case there is something that you would like to specifically ask, write down your questions before the consultation, and don’t be afraid to voice your concerns. Family matters are extremely important, and they can be really complex, difficult, and stressful as well. The right legal advisor will help you overcome any issue you may be facing, and they will be there every step of the way.

Those who practice family law focus on issues that affect families. Some common tasks handled by family law are typical custody agreements, formal wills, prenuptial agreements, handling divorce proceedings, child custody arrangements and adoptions. So if you determine that you do need a family law expert visit dbnlawnj.com for more information.