If you are a father, and you find yourself dealing with issues relating to a divorce, child custody, child support, or similar legal issues, you may need the help of a father’s rights lawyer. Like most people in your position, however, you may have never worked with a lawyer before on issues such as these. Consequently, you undoubtedly have questions and concerns. You also want to be sure you hire the right lawyer for the job. The key to assuaging those concerns is to come prepared to your first meeting. With that in mind, consider the following 5 questions to ask a Frisco father’s rights lawyer during your first meeting.
- What types of cases do you focus on in your practice? People often make the mistake of comparing the practice of law to the practice of medicine – at least with regard to the concept of specialization. Before medical students finish school they have chosen a specialty. Not true for lawyers. Law students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them to handle any type of legal issue, in theory; however, it is the practice they get after law school that turns them into experts in a particular area of the law. “Father’s rights” is a niche area of the law that not many lawyers practice. Obviously, if you are a father you want an attorney who has chosen to focus a good deal of his/her practice on father’s rights.
- What results have you obtained in similar cases? This is a polite way of asking for the attorney’s success rate. No attorney “wins” every case; however, you clearly want an attorney who obtains a favorable result in the majority of the cases he/she handles. While an attorney cannot share specifics about other cases because it would violate the attorney-client confidentiality rules, it would be encouraging to know that the attorney has handled similar cases with good results.
- What are the strengths and weaknesses you see in my case? Cases are rarely one-sided. Although you want to hire an attorney who believes in the strength of your position, you also want an attorney who is able to zero in the weaknesses in your case in order to prepare to deal with them during the litigation process. A good attorney can anticipate what the opposition is going to do and prepare accordingly.
- How would you approach my case? There is also rarely only one way to litigate a case. Some attorneys take a hardnosed approach while others prefer to try and mediate and negotiate first. As the client, you have the ultimate say with regard to accepting a settlement or negotiating an agreement; however, the attorney’s preferred approach to a case can tell you a lot about an attorney.
- How long will my case likely take and what will it cost me? These questions are inevitable and understandable. Although an attorney is usually unable to provide you with an exact time frame nor an exact fee amount, the attorney should be able to give you a good idea of how long your case will take to resolve. Likewise, an attorney should be able to provide you with a ballpark figure for the cost of your representation. Moreover, your fee agreement should be in writing if you decide to retain the attorney so that you know what you are being billed for and how you are being billed.
The answers to these five questions should give you a good idea whether the attorney is the right attorney for you and your legal issues. Of course, you may think of additional, pertinent questions to ask as well; however, by having these questions prepared for your first meeting it should be more productive and move your legal issues forward.
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If you have additional questions or concerns about retaining the services of a Frisco father’s rights lawyer, contact an experienced Frisco, Texas father’s rights attorney at The Law Office of Jon R. Boyd to schedule your appointment today.
