While you might have initially considered your marriage as an intimate partnership of two people who loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, if you choose to divorce, the law looks upon your marriage much like a business arrangement. You are seen as two people who formed a (life) partnership that is now being dissolved. In order to facilitate that dissolution you must hire a divorce attorney who will represent your half of the partnership.

But first you must find a lawyer that you can work with. In another blog post, we discussed some questions to ask yourself about your goals for your divorce that you can discuss with your divorce attorney. Now we are going to take a step back and look at a list of questions to ask of the prospective divorce lawyer to see if this is the person you want to hire to represent you during one of the most challenging times in your life.

Here are 10 questions you might ask in your first consultation with a Nashville divorce attorney to give you a clear idea of who you are working with and what you should expect from them:

1. How many years of experience do you have practicing family law? (Is divorce law your primary area of expertise or is it just one of several areas of practice for you?)
2. Have you been through a divorce?
3. Would you please describe the divorce process for me?
4. Will we be able to settle my case without going to court?
5. What information should I gather for you to allow you to become the most informed about my case?
6. Is there anything I should be doing right now to protect my interests in the event I decide to file a divorce?
7. Will any other members of your staff be working on my case?
8. What is your preferred method of communication?
9. How will I be billed for your services?
10. May I see a copy of your fee agreement and a sample bill a client might receive?

While this may be your first divorce, we can assure you that it is not ours. We know the games and the tactics that people engage in when they are dissolving a marriage, so we can leverage this experience along with our knowledge of the law to make sure that your interests are protected and you get the best outcome possible.

When you are thinking about getting a divorce you may decide to meet with a few divorce attorneys before you hire one. Or, make your first appointment with us and you may not need to go any further! We invite you to speak to our Nashville divorce lawyers with any questions about your case. Please feel free to contact the legal team at Miller Upshaw Family Law, PLLC for more information.