“Free legal advice is worth what you paid for it” is a long-standing, semi-humorous, and usually true statement. However, this does not necessarily hold true in legal matters.
Most attorneys will offer free consultations to help you determine if their particular area of expertise is what you need.
Stop and consider: Would you hire an architect, financial planner or some other professional without meeting with them first?
The same applies to the selection of an attorney and, as with other professionals, meet with a small number of attorneys so you can compare their various qualities before making a selection.
Take advantage of the free advice you are offered by divorce attorneys. Use that initial meeting to decide if that attorney is a fit with you and your personality. This attorney is going to take you through some of the roughest emotional times you may have ever experienced. Decide, do you want an attorney that will cause mayhem, and crash and burn your spouse? Do you want a divorce attorney that is compassionate, and will work to seek compromise without going to court to save everyone money, and preserve what is left of the relationship? The personality of the attorney is what you are evaluating during your “free legal advice” initial consultation. You will also learn from what the attorney says, what you should include in your interviews with other attorneys.
One thing that we hear a lot of people tell us, is that when an attorney comes to you by way of recommendation, interview them last. In other words, let’s say that there are a few people that you know have had a good experience with attorney X, and based on that, you are pretty sure you are going to use them as well. If you interview them last, you will have learned from your other “Free initial consultation” experiences what questions to ask, and your confidence level in your choice will be even higher. The higher your confidence in your attorney, the more likely you will work well together, and the more likely you will both be on the same page in your goals for the divorce process.
