It amazes me to see the number of people I meet who are unhappy with their divorce lawyer. Some complain that they spent too much money, while others did not receive their desired results. Whether the underlying issue was money, the process, or the results, the people I have spoken with were not satisfied with the services they hired.  After listening to their stories, I have come up with two things that you can do to help get the results that you want with your divorce lawyer.

 

1) Communicate Your Goals and Expectations

When you were dating, it was important that you and your partner communicated with each other.  Otherwise, you might have found yourself in arguments over miscommunication, different wants and needs, or other disputes.  The same concept applies to your relationship with your divorce lawyer.  If you do not open yourself up to your lawyer, express your concerns, or state the results that you expect, s/he can only guess at what your goals are.  Maybe you want to save money.  If money is not an issue, are you expecting a specific result?  Do you want to get your case over as soon as possible? Or do you want to drag it out to avoid a final conclusion?  When your lawyer is unaware of your expectations, you are left with an unsatisfactory experience or outcomes that you wanted to avoid.  Some of you may think that you are expressing your goals clearly. If this is the case, the attorney may not be listening or is hearing something entirely different from what you are saying. If you feel that you are in this situation, ask your lawyer what he thinks your goals are.  Any misconception can be easily clarified by providing more information, and your divorce lawyer can give you the results that you want.

 

2) Befriend Your Lawyer’s Secretary

Your lawyer’s secretary is more powerful than you think  Not only does the secretary plan your lawyers daily schedule, s/he also prioritizes his/her cases, deciding which cases need the most time and attention.  Therefore, there is no better person to help you achieve the results that you want than the lawyer’s secretary.  While you are in the waiting room, why not strike a small conversation? Ask how the day is going.  Without coming across as annoying, try to create a good impression of yourself.  This impression will resurface when secretary comes across your case.  If you are rude or disrespectful, I can almost guarantee that your divorce case will not receive any additional attention by your lawyer.

In addition to helping you obtain your desired results, befriending an lawyer’s secretary can help you save money.  The billable rate for secretaries and paralegals are lower than your lawyer’s.  Oftentimes, they are capable of answering your questions or addressing your concerns.  If they are unable to, they can simply ask your lawyer without billing you for your lawyer’s hourly rate.  By asking the secretary questions about your case, you can save a lot of money and develop a friendly relationship at the same time.

 

My mother used to tell me that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  If you practice these two methods, you are more likely to achieve the results that you want with your divorce  lawyer.  By communicating your goals and expectations and befriending your lawyer’s secretary, you can obtain your desired outcome for the divorce case at a lower price.

 

Christian Schank is a family law attorney focusing on divorce, child custody, child support, restraining orders, and other family law cases.  He has offices in Orange County, California.

 

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