5 Tips For Better Communication With Your Divorce Attorney
Communication in any relationship is critical. Many marriages fail because of a communication failures. A divorce is one of the most traumatic times in your life. Psychologists have said and studies have shown that the worst thing anyone can go through is the death of a child. The second worst is the death of a spouse in a good marriage. And close behind, ranking third in stressful events is a divorce. The following are my 5 key tips on how to communicate with your attorney.
1. Meet with your attorney. Face to face communication is critical. This is how you decide whether you are going to retain a particular attorney. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Make sure you take notes during your meetings. Before you retain an attorney make sure that this is the person who you will entrust one of the most important times in your life to. Don't hesitate to have regular meetings so that you are positive you are both on the same wavelength, and working together. You and your attorney are part of a team.
2. Keep a list of questions. You are being charged by an attorney for his or her time and expertise. Do not call your attorney every day. Save these questions and contact your attorney with several questions rather than one at a time. This is an cheaper and economical way to cover issues and still get answers.
3. If you have questions don't be bashful. Remember that your attorney is working for you. Communication is a two-way street. It is important to communicate. You deserve to know what is going on. You deserve to know what strategies are being raised. If you have questions about, you deserve answers. There was once a study done with regard to phone calls and messages, and when a client reasonably expected a return call. The possible answers were: immediately, within three hours, within four hours, by the end of the day, within 24 hours, or whenever. The correct response was within three hours. In reality, that is often impossible, but it is reasonable to expect a return phone call within 24 hours. I always try to return calls and respond to my client's e-mails by the end of the day. I know that people are going through a very traumatic time in their lives.
4. Communication. You can communicate with your attorney by email, which is becoming more the rule than the exception. Do not send an email every hour or with every thought. I now find that I spend hours every day going through emails with some clients emailing me several times a day. This can prove very expensive. Again, cover several issues or questions at once. Do not abuse email.
5. This is one of the most important situations in your life. It is scary, agonizing, and especially if it is something that has been forced upon you by an unexpected divorce by your spouse, a horrible experience. You are also going to have many questions. This is your life. Your questions matter and they are important to you. No matter how you communicate with your attorney, whether by email, phone, fax or snail-mail, these all deserve a response from your attorney. It is important to take care of yourself, not only legally, but also emotionally and give yourself time to breathe and make sure you are taking care of your medical and physical needs.
1. Meet with your attorney. Face to face communication is critical. This is how you decide whether you are going to retain a particular attorney. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Make sure you take notes during your meetings. Before you retain an attorney make sure that this is the person who you will entrust one of the most important times in your life to. Don't hesitate to have regular meetings so that you are positive you are both on the same wavelength, and working together. You and your attorney are part of a team.
2. Keep a list of questions. You are being charged by an attorney for his or her time and expertise. Do not call your attorney every day. Save these questions and contact your attorney with several questions rather than one at a time. This is an cheaper and economical way to cover issues and still get answers.
3. If you have questions don't be bashful. Remember that your attorney is working for you. Communication is a two-way street. It is important to communicate. You deserve to know what is going on. You deserve to know what strategies are being raised. If you have questions about, you deserve answers. There was once a study done with regard to phone calls and messages, and when a client reasonably expected a return call. The possible answers were: immediately, within three hours, within four hours, by the end of the day, within 24 hours, or whenever. The correct response was within three hours. In reality, that is often impossible, but it is reasonable to expect a return phone call within 24 hours. I always try to return calls and respond to my client's e-mails by the end of the day. I know that people are going through a very traumatic time in their lives.
4. Communication. You can communicate with your attorney by email, which is becoming more the rule than the exception. Do not send an email every hour or with every thought. I now find that I spend hours every day going through emails with some clients emailing me several times a day. This can prove very expensive. Again, cover several issues or questions at once. Do not abuse email.
5. This is one of the most important situations in your life. It is scary, agonizing, and especially if it is something that has been forced upon you by an unexpected divorce by your spouse, a horrible experience. You are also going to have many questions. This is your life. Your questions matter and they are important to you. No matter how you communicate with your attorney, whether by email, phone, fax or snail-mail, these all deserve a response from your attorney. It is important to take care of yourself, not only legally, but also emotionally and give yourself time to breathe and make sure you are taking care of your medical and physical needs.
