Over the Shock and GALing 5

[AlexEN]

Thinker,

Here's the list of questions I asked when I was "interviewing" attorneys:

Nuts & Bolts:

(1) Percentage family law?
(2) Experience in this jurisdiction?
(3) Familiarity with attitudes and predispositions of local judges?
(4) Knowledge of expectations and quirks of local custody evaluators?
(5) How feel about joint custody/shared parenting?
(6) Options for resolution of custody disputes?
(7) Advantages and disadvantages of mediation, arbitration, collaborative process?
(8) Percentage of your cases settled out of court?
(9) How many lasted more than a year?
(10) Percentage decided in your client’s favor?
(11) Are you divorced? Children?
(12) If so, do you have custody?
(13) If so, how obtained? If not, why not?
(14) Frequency of status reports?
(15) How often will we meet?
(16) Availability in emergencies?
(17) Payment arrangements?

More Qualitatively:

(A) Undivided attention?
(B) Did I feel rushed?
(C) Was I paraphrased accurately?
(D) Did (s)he moralize?
(E) Realistic appraisal?
(F) Interruptions?
(G) Confidence?

(a) References?
(b) Were you well-informed?
(c) Like/dislike?
(d) Promptness?

At the end of the day, go with your gut... Also, see if anyone is a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers...

I also checked to see what, if antyhing, they had published. The one I ended up going with teaches other lawyers how to draft settlement agreements; was left herself; and seemed "to get" the things that mattered most to me. I also liked the fact that she reserved the right to drop me as a client if I ever asked her to take a position that she believed was not in the children's best interests.

-AlexEN