Laws regulate virtually every aspect of life, and the family is no exception. Family law exists to ensure that various issues affecting family relationships, such as divorce, separation, annulment, child custody and visitation rights, distribution of marital property, etc. are dealt with in a fair and just manner.
If you are involved in a family law issue, your best bet for achieving a favourable result is to hire a family lawyer to handle your case. Given the vast range of issues that fall under family law, you should choose the lawyer that represents you carefully.
Below are some tips you can use to find the right family lawyer for you.
Check the Lawyer's Experience
Family law is a broad branch of the Australian legal system. In fact, it's so broad that it's difficult to find a family law practice that can handle every type of family law issue. For that reason, it's important to narrow down your search to a lawyer that focuses on the specific area of family law that you need help with.
If you want to call time on your marriage, you will need to seek out a divorce lawyer, for example. Having handled several divorce cases in the past, they will bring the knowledge and experience needed to win your case.
A lawyer that has spent most of their active practice taking on other family law cases might not be able to build the strongest case possible for you.
Check the Lawyer's Availability
When you are searching for a family lawyer to handle your case, make sure they have the time to attend to your case themselves. You wouldn't want to find out that the lawyer you met up with delegated your case to a less experienced lawyer because they were too busy to handle your case.
Ask prospective lawyers if they have any cases that may prevent them from giving your case the attention it deserves. If they are too busy to work directly with you, you're entitled to take your business somewhere else.
Check the Lawyer's Cost
Like other legal practitioners, family lawyers charge for their time and services. Before agreeing to hire any lawyer, discuss legal fees and payment arrangements with them. Will they require a significant retainer? Will they expect to be paid on an hourly basis? Can you afford to pay for their services?
If money is a problem, you might need to hire an attorney that can represent you pro bono.
If you carefully review the above things when selecting a family lawyer, you stand a good chance of finding a lawyer that matches your situation.
