The emotional stress of a divorcing couple is very high during child custody hearings and proceedings. During this time, having the right Jacksonville custody attorney is a must. Whenever a person needs an attorney, there is a certain selection process that he or she must go through to get the best for the particular circumstances. The attorney that you need in a child custody case will need to have different attributes than an attorney whose specialty is something other than family law.
Before a parent selects an appropriate attorney, he or she should consider an initial consultation with a lawyer as an interview in which questions of extreme importance must be asked and answered. The answers that the attorney gives usually are the deciding factor when selecting a Jacksonville custody attorney.
* Approachability: The personality of the lawyer and his or her client should match as closely as possible and the lawyer should be easy to talk to. There are going to be many issues as the case proceeds and having good rapport with the lawyer will make the proceedings easier.
* Empathy: Does the lawyer seem to care about your case and the outcome? You want to get a sense of who exactly will be working on your case and how quickly your case will be worked on.
* Experience: In child custody cases, you want to make sure that your lawyer has had a great deal of experience in a variety of different types of family law cases as a case that may not have domestic violence issues in the beginning may suddenly have those issues alleged or actually occurring as a case progresses.
* Fee: Child custody cases are complex and often take many hours of work to attain the desired results. Part of the selection process is an assessment of the attorney’s fee, does he or she give you a sense of what different types of resolutions could cost? An attorney that only focuses on fees for an expensive trial may not have your best interests in mind.
To check the reputation of the Jacksonville custody attorney, you can check with the state bar association. Most states will have a bar association website that gives pertinent information about the attorney’s standing with the bar, and it indicates whether or not their license to practice is up-to-date and valid.
If you have a case that is certain to go to trial, when you meet with an attorney to discuss your case, the attorney should give you an overview of the preparation that will be needed. If you retain a lawyer, he or she will need to tell you what questions you can expect to be asked, what evidence you will need to present and what type of defense you will need to prepare against your spouse’s or ex-partner’s allegations. Often there is significant inquiry into parties’ finances and parenting as it is the court’s primary responsibility to consider the best interests of the child when making custody, time sharing and child support decisions. In a contested case, you will need to explain what it is that you want and why you believe your proposal is best for the child. An experience custody attorney will help you gather, organize and effectively present your evidence and case to the court.
If you have a divorce case or other family law matter and need a Jacksonville custody attorney you are invited to contact the law offices of Cameron Baker & Associates, P.A. They focus exclusively on family law matters.
