The process of hiring a divorce lawyer can be tedious for most people. Your divorce lawyer will play a major role in the outcome of the case, and the choice you make in this regard will have an impact on the rest of your life. Considering the immense importance of a divorce lawyer, it is normal for a person to feel stressed and anxious before making the call to a prospective lawyer, after having made the call, and even at times after the attorney has been hired.
Panic, on the other hand, can take these emotions of worry to a whole new level. If you are completely panicked about your divorce, it is possible that your sense of logic may be overpowered in the decision making with panic. This is likely to be your biggest mistake, since only clear and logical decisions will help you navigate the waters in this uncertain time period. Panic usually originates from the fear of the unknown, which can often leave many questions unanswered and many issues unresolved.
Choosing a Good Divorce Lawyer Using Logic
We have already discussed the importance of making the correct decision with regards to choosing your divorce lawyer. What you need to understand is that all this needs to be carried out with a clear head and logical thinking. Only when you are thinking clearly and logically will you be able to distinguish the good divorce lawyers from the ones trying to take advantage of your predicament for the sake of getting your retainer. One of the most common ways lawyers exploit their clients is by playing on their fears.
Most of the people who are going into a divorce for the very first time are scared of making mistakes, ending up on the losing side and wanting to win the case at all costs. Some divorce attorneys exploit such clients and their vulnerabilities by showing them a fairy-tale world where everything is likely to go their way. No attorney should ever make guarantees or promises that a client’s case is going to turn out exactly as they say, because doing so is irresponsible and, frankly, unethical. There are many variables involved in cases that can affect the outcome in a case.
Moreover, when you aren’t thinking clearly, you are likely to express your emotions of hate, frustration, and revenge openly with your lawyer, and some attorneys will take advantage of your emotional vulnerability and entice you into retaining them with words like “destroying the other spouse,”“making them sorry,”etc. When there are legitimate facts and reasons to fight in court over an issue such as child custody, no one can fault you for sticking up for your rights and for what you believe is in the best interests of your child. But hiring a family law attorney who you think is going to crush the other parent can backfire in court, so you have to find an attorney for you that you feel that you can work with, who is competent and knowledgeable, and who can attempt settlement but is prepared to fight for you in court if settlement proves to not be possible.
This is primarily why you need to be thinking logically when choosing an Orange County divorce lawyer for yourself. You should look at the credentials of the lawyer, his/her past experience at handling such cases, and the overall reputation he/she has.
Gerald A. Maggio is an experienced Orange County divorce and family law lawyer and family law attorney located in Irvine, California, serving the Orange County and Riverside areas. Mr. Maggio assists clients with legal issues including divorce, legal separation, divorce mediation, child custody, prenuptial agreements, stepparent adoptions, and other family law issues. Mr. Maggio has practiced law in California since 1999, and founded The Maggio Law Firm in 2005, focusing exclusively on divorce and family law matters.
