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To help families navigate their way through challenging times, Lowry Legal have put together some guidelines on What to look for when appointing a family law solicitor
Choosing and instructing a family law solicitor to handle your divorce/finances/children issues -or any other areas of family law-is such an important decision.
You will be making life changing decisions for you and your family so I pays to think about what you want/need and how best to achieve your end goals-or indeed find someone who can help you on your journey to your end goal if you do not know what it looks like at the outset.
Some tips which I have gathered from clientโs comments during my time practicing in this area would be;
1 Recommendation
Asking friends or family to recommend a solicitor they have previously used is the biggest / most frequent place that people start.
Someone you trust who has had first hand experience of how a particular solicitor operates will count for a lot during your initial search. Ask them what their views of the solicitor are/what they liked about them/what they didnโt like may also be important!
2 First meeting / phone call etc
Ask the solicitor for a first meeting to allow you to set out your position and ask how they can help.
Most firms offer a free initial discussion and in that time, you can get a feeling as to whether you like the person/feel confident with the advice and how they are with you in terms of empathy and communication skills.
I would recommend speaking with 2 or 3 solicitors -usually you will know quite soon into the meeting what you think of them!
Are they a good communicator?
Are they empathetic?
Do they have experience?
Are they calm and measured?
How do they handle cases ie react or be on the front foot?
What does their client care look like? Are they responsive to emails/returning calls? Do they have a team who help if they are not in the office one day?
Some points to bear in mind.
Do they have other experts around them that you can call on if needed as the journey progresses? Ie financial advisors/accountants. A holistic approach should be taken to work as a team to get the right outcome for you.
3 Experience
Expertise in the section of family law you need assistance with should really be a given. However, donโt be afraid to ask though what their experience is in terms of what you need whether that be a financial settlement involving business valuations or going through sensitive Children Act proceedings with you.
4 Location
The place of their office may be important to you. Post pandemic it is fair to say this has become less important to clients. It may be that you want someone local so you can visit the office as and when you need. Most clients now donโt mind TEAMS meetings/phone calls-but that doesnโt mean it is for everyone.
5 Costs
This is always important for clients. Your solicitor needs to be able to give you transparent advice on costs from the outset. There will always be times when a case goes down a different path than expected but there needs to be ongoing communication as to where your costs are at and what they are expected to be. When dealing with financial matters this then gives a commercial slant to the advice ie donโt spend more on legal fees than what you are arguing over.
6 You have a solicitor, and it isnโt working for you
Donโt stick with someone when it is not right. there may be any number of reasons for the relationship not working. It is such an important time where you may be / probably will be making life changing decisions. Donโt stay with a solicitor thinking things will change. Go and see a couple of other solicitors-bearing in mind the above -and get their views on whether a transfer of your file to them will help/what they suggest. It may be a nervous time switching to a new solicitor but often this is much better longer term.
Here at Lowry legal we have an expert team who deal with all areas of family law. for a free initial 30 minute consultation, please contact Lesley@lowrylegal.co.uk or phoneย ย 07903 074975
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