How To Work With Your Divorce Lawyer

Divorce is a painful process that drains all parties involved emotionally. While divorce may seem to overtake your life from the start, there are ways to help you work with your attorney to streamline the process and make it feel less stressful. Following these tips will ensure you work effectively with your lawyer during your divorce.

Tell Your Lawyer the Truth

As you answer all your lawyers’ questions, you should be truthful, and you should also make sure you provide them with all relevant facts, the good and the bad. Even though some information may be negative or embarrassing, your divorce lawyer will adequately advise you on the way forward if they have all of the facts. Your attorney must be aware of any potential concerns to protect your interests appropriately. Even if you have had some unfavorable prior offenses, advocates understand how to represent you. As a result, it is vital to be open and honest with your lawyer. Your lawyer will not think less of you, but if there is something you are hiding from him, he will.

Discuss Your Schedule With Your Advocate

Although the divorce process can take a long time, informing your attorney about your schedule, emotions, and timetable is vital. Your attorney will be courteous if you inform them that you will be unavailable physically or mentally for a certain duration. If you do not inform them, they may continue to question your position, how you want to proceed or follow up on papers they are looking for. Let your attorney know when you are unavailable to ensure that you and your attorney agree.

Be Responsive

If you and your attorney seek to conclude your divorce in the shortest time possible, try to be as receptive as possible when your attorney or office contacts you. It is not about providing an immediate response but offering a comprehensive answer to being responsive. Frequently, instant responses do not immediately answer your attorney’s question. If you provide your attorney with as much information as possible, they will not have to re-ask and follow up on the same question. This will improve communication efficiency with your attorney, reducing the cost of communication.

Keep Your Lawyer Informed

During a divorce, you and your spouse may disagree on issues in the divorce process and during post-judgment proceedings. If a continuing problem requires court intervention, your attorney should be aware of the concerns. If court action is required and your advocate is aware of the issues, you and your lawyer will not waste time and energy trying to “catch up” on what happened in the previous weeks, months, or even years. Keeping your lawyer informed of all developing issues also protects you against any exploitation and intimidation from your spouse.

Be Objective

It’s critical to recognize and accept that your lawyer’s only information is advice depending on the current law. Understanding your attorney’s explanations regarding current law is the greatest approach for you and your attorney to make strategic judgments about your case. When an attorney explains the law and how it applies to your case, remember that the attorney did not create the law and may not even agree with how it works. When discussing the law, the attorney is not passing judgment on your personal life but rather on the law itself. Accept that your lawyer is looking out for your best interests, including giving you things you may not want to hear. Remember that your attorney is there to assist you and be your advocate throughout the process.

The success of your divorce proceeding and the duration will depend on the working relationship you will create with your advocate.