The Four Characteristics Your Lawyer Needs When You Want an Amicable Divorce

When you want an amicable divorce, it’s common to want to avoid lawyers.  After all, lawyers are commonly associated with more conflict.  Unfortunately, it’s the worst ones we tend to hear about the most. But like any type of professional, not all divorce lawyers are created equal.  So, if you want an amicable divorce, the first thing you need to do is commit to it.  That means choosing a lawyer that reflects your commitment to an amicable divorce. Because, believe me, there are plenty of lawyers who see every divorce they handle as a fight.  Adversarial lawyers focus mainly on finding ways to attack their adversaries instead of looking for common ground.  This tends to drive divorcing spouses farther apart, making it much harder to settle your case or to co-parent your children. An adversarial approach to divorce can also lengthen the amount of time it takes to reach a divorce agreement and legal fees can quickly get out of hand. So, if you’re truly committed to an amicable divorce, your lawyer should have these 4 characteristics: 1.        Experienced in Divorce and Family Law. Your divorce lawyer should have many years of experience and focus mainly on divorce and family law.  An experienced divorce lawyer can be very helpful during negotiations.  And he or she will likely know how to expedite the process wherever possible to save you time, money, and emotional energy.  2.        Settlement-focused. The settlement-focused lawyer can save you time and money by guiding you to an amicable divorce settlement out of court.  Rarely do divorce cases go to trial in court, nor should they.  3.        Exceptional communicator. If you want an amicable divorce, your lawyer should be able to talk to you in plain English without a lot of legal mumbo jumbo. Your divorce lawyer will want to make sure you understand the divorce process and what’s happening in your case.  Good communication is essential so you know the decisions you need to make to settle your divorce and the implications of those decisions.  4.        Great listener.  It goes without saying that your divorce attorney should listen to what you want and need in your divorce.  He or she should not be quick to offer “solutions” without taking time to hear you out. The importance of having the right divorce attorney in your corner cannot be overemphasized.  It is one of the most important decisions you make in your divorce. Like this post?   Please share or Sign up to subscribe weekly and you’ll never miss a post.