It's never easy to decide to get a divorce. However, when that time comes, you'll want to have a lawyer on your side to help you through the process. The first step will be meeting with a divorce lawyer, and you'll definitely want to ask these questions during that initial meeting

What Is Your Experience With Divorce Cases?

It's important to know that the lawyer you're working with does a lot of work with divorce cases. It's possible that the lawyer handles many types of cases, with divorce being a less frequent type. Consider asking what percentage of their clients are divorce cases, and what their success rate is with settling in mediation and not going to trial. This should give you a good idea about how much experience the lawyer actually has.

How Do You Resolve Divorce Cases?

Every lawyer is going to be different in how they try to resolve divorce cases. Some are very aggressive, and will often threaten to go to litigation to get the results you want. Others will try a collaborative approach in mediation so that you have more control over the outcome of the divorce. It's difficult to say if one is better than the other because every divorce has unique circumstances with two different people. 

How Do You Communicate With Clients?

Each lawyer has their own preferred method of communicating with their clients. Some like meeting in person, while others will talk on the phone. You may even find that email or texting is the best method for how the lawyer works. Make sure that their communication method is compatible with your needs. For example, if they prefer to meet in person and you prefer to talk on the phone, that lawyer may not be best for you. 

What Is The Fee Structure?

A divorce lawyer is going to work differently than other lawyers you may be familiar with, such as a personal injury lawyer. It is common for lawyers to charge an hourly rate for their services when handling a divorce, rather than a flat fee. You'll want to know what that hourly rate is, and if there are different hourly rates for the various services that are offered.

It's also possible that the lawyer will request that you pay upfront in the form of a retainer. The lawyer will subtract their costs from the retainer, and then request an additional payment once the retainer is out of money. 

For more information, contact a local divorce lawyer.