What to Consider When Choosing a Divorce Lawyer

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If you’ve decided it’s time to divorce, there are many, many things to consider. How will this affect the lives of your children? How are the assets to be divided, does 1 person keep the house; or does the house get sold? These are big considerations, and only begin to scratch the surface of the life changes to come. The decision to file for divorce is one that most people arrive at after a lot of thought and deliberation, and the same level of thought and deliberation should be taken when searching for a divorce lawyer to represent you.

Here are some important things to consider when looking for a divorce attorney to represent you:

  1. Make sure you are comfortable with your choice of an attorney to represent you. Be sure to ask them about their past experience and successes, but trust your gut instinct that the choice you make feels right to you and that your questions are being answered openly and honestly. Make sure that their approach to divorce- be it mediation or appearance in a courtroom- matches what you are seeking. Know what you want in the divorce process, and do not compromise this by settling for a lawyer that isn’t meeting your expectations.
  2. Be thorough in weighing your options for the divorce and for legal representation. You may see a lot of “quick & easy” divorce advertisements, but it’s important to not rush this process and make a mistake in choosing representation that doesn’t alight with your expectations. Even if you like the first firm or lawyer you meet with, meeting with 2 or 3 more options is smart before making a decision, to get a better idea of the best representational fit for you.
  3. Ask a lot of questions. Ask as many questions as necessary to be sure that you understand and agree with an attorney’s approach to handling divorce and that you both will be on the same page. Look for any red flags that something presented to you sounds too good or too easy (it’s not), as well as the engagement with you of the attorney you are interviewing. Are they too distracted or seem impatient? Can they look you in the eye? Are they expressing respect and concern for your personal privacy?
  4. Focus on the top priorities. Know what is most important during this trying time and work with your attorney to prioritize the main concerns.
  5. Consider convenience factors. Your attorney’s responsiveness, location, and scheduling convenience should all be considered, as the divorce process can take time to complete. Ease of access and comfortableness with your lawyer choice are primary considerations to guide you through the divorce process.

At Marchan Law Office, we fully realize that going through a divorce causes stress and pain to the client and those loved ones who surround the client.  We work with our clients to develop a case strategy and set goals that seek to minimize the personal harm and stress that is a large component in these affairs.

We invite you to Learn More Here or to Contact Us Here today.

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Attorney John Paul Marchan

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How to Find The Best Criminal Defense Attorney

If you find yourself under arrest for a crime, it’s so important to get the best criminal defense attorney that you can to represent you. All too often public defenders are buried under an unending load of cases & cannot fully commit the time, attention, energy & understanding you deserve when facing charges in a court of law. While a public defender may mean well, that alone is not enough to be sure you are receiving the best legal representation that you deserve.

If you are looking online for a lawyer to help defend you, it pays to do your homework. Lawyers pay a lot of money to fiercely compete to be found first on Google. For example, in 2019, there were 18,100 online searches in the United States for “criminal lawyer”. Those law firms who run advertising on Google were willing to pay up to $40.38 for each time someone clicked on their ad to be bought to their website! Do the deep pockets here represent a numbers game more than they do top-quality legal help? It is likely possible. It’s better to look through search results that come up in Google searches than to simply click on the ads, and then really look at the client testimonials, the legal qualifications, length of service & legal specialty areas of a lawyer to make a wise choice.

Don’t be afraid to call a law office and request a free consultation to discuss your case. This opens up the dialogue and may provide you with some good free of cost legal advice, whether you decide to choose this defense attorney or not. The lawyer may be able to tell you more about the charges against you & what you might be able to expect moving forward. A good lawyer will be transparent about the costs involved to defend you & many great defense attorneys are willing to work this out with you in a way that will work for both of you.

Don’t be discouraged if the lawyer you call isn’t readily available to take your call. Oftentimes, they may already be in court defending another case. Think about it- it’s not always the case, but if a lawyer is sitting there waiting for the phone to ring, should that be a possible red flag? On the other hand, the person you talk to should be able to commit to a relatively quick timeline for a call back from the lawyer. If you are seeming to wait to long, or don’t receive a call back within the agreed upon timeline, or if the lawyer doesn’t sound confident, or is tired or seems too busy to talk to you for long, it may be in your best interest to make a call somewhere else.

As well as looking at testimonials on the website, look for reviews of the lawyer on Google, Yelp, social media to get the full picture. It always pays to ask people you know too for referrals. Perhaps there is a relative or friend who is a defender, or perhaps someone required a lawyer in the past and will have a rave review or a warning about who they used.

Don’t always trust the lawyer review sites that mention “the 10 best lawyers” in your city. Although these sites are usually found at the top of internet search results. You can be sure that many of these are charging the lawyers fees for “premium positioning”- not unlike the Yellow pages phone book. The biggest ad doesn’t mean it’s the best law firm for your defense!