Recommendations, Reviews, Research & Consultation are the major factors in selecting the right attorney for your divorce. You may not have all four but a combination of these factors will help you make the right choice.
Choosing your divorce attorney is an important step especially if your matter will be contested. Your attorney will get to know you quite well and you must have confidence in the attorney. Making a mistake will cost you time and money. The hourly rate and retainer of the attorney are certainly important, but the other factors are more important because not getting it right the first time will cost later on and there will be no savings.
If you have a family member, friend or other professional who can give you a recommendation you will most likely be headed in the right direction. It is always helpful to find out the name of the attorney from whom a person that you trust felt that they received excellent representation. You would not go to a doctor that does not get good results or is never available to answer your questions and you will not be happy with an attorney that does the same thing.
There are so many ways now to find out if the attorney you are considering has good reviews whether from Google, Avvo or their own website. Read the reviews to find out more about the attorney and how past clients feel about them.
Check out the attorney's web page. Is the attorney a general practitioner or does the lawyer concentrate only in matrimonial cases? For the same hourly rate and retainer you can have an attorney who only does divorce cases so why pick an attorney who is a jack of all trades. Many times the general practitioner will not be as comfortable representing a client in a contested case.
Finally schedule a consultation. Observe how you are greeted by staff, look at the office to see if it looks clean and well organized, if there are other clients there what is their demeanor. Ask the attorney questions. Listen to see if the attorney is understanding your problems and how the lawyer proposes to help you. Is the lawyer answering your questions? Find out how much experience the lawyer has with cases of your type. Is the attorney paying attention to you? Does the lawyer's desk look organized or does it look like files were dumped upside down all over the desk? Do you get that feeling that you are in the right place or are you hoping that you can leave as soon as possible?
If you feel that the fit is right, it probably is. If everything checks out, you are probably making a good decision. If you are unsure give the decision more thought. You can always come back to retain the attorney once you are certain.