Dakota County Law Blog

A family law blog with real world legal advice

Many people are confused about the process of hiring a divorce lawyer.  For instance, how do you know which lawyer is good for you?  How do you know if the lawyer will do a good job with your divorce?  Can you afford to pay a divorce lawyer?  These are all questions that are valid and need answering.

Fortunately, there are resources for finding information and hiring a divorce lawyer.  One great place to start is with your friends.  Do you know anyone who has dealt with a family law situation or had to hire a lawyer for a divorce?  If you do, then you can talk with them about your situation.  Often, friends and trusted acquaintances are the best source for good, solid information.

Another source for finding out information about a good lawyer is contacting the local state and/or county bar association where you live.  The bar association are made up of lawyers.  Essentially, it is a lawyer club which sponsors educational events and other activities.  These organizations are often more in touch with the local legal community than any other source.  They are also great sources of legal information because the organization is made up of the lawyers who practice law.  There will often be a divorce law section which can help you find an attorney who is right for you.

Another option is simply searching the phone book or the internet.  Doing a quick search for “divorce lawyers” will allow you to locate all kinds of information.  The only problem with this approach is that it is difficult to know what is good information and what is bad information.  It’s a tough way to know if you are getting a divorce lawyer that is right for you.

Finally, a search option for locating a good, experienced lawyer is to simply go to the courthouse and ask the clerks or staff if they have any recommendations.  The court staff see attorneys in action every day.  They interact with the divorce lawyers.  The court staff know which lawyers are good ones and which are not so good.  Also if you learn about a lawyer who the court staff likes, you can bet that the lawyer does a good job with the staff and handling their cases.  The lawyer is probably also good with people and well liked.  These are certainly good things to think about when hiring a divorce lawyer.

In conclusion, finding the right lawyer for you and your family can be tough.  Unfortunately, it isn’t a fair world.  But, doing some research and thinking hard about what you want out of a lawyer will only help you.  If you do this, in the end, you will be much better off.

This post was written by Joseph M. Flanders, an Apple Valley MN divorce lawyer.

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