Many divorce attorneys wish they could teach a class to their clients on how to be the most helpful during a divorce. This is not to say that most clients are difficult. Rather, many do not know what goes into divorce preparation and hearings, and they are not supposed to! Yet there are ways to become the best family law client you can be in Oklahoma.
Clients are there to be supported and assisted through the court system, your divorce attorney is there to be the expert in the process. We discuss the most helpful tips for clients to have when interacting and going through the divorce process with your divorce attorney.
Maintain Reasonable Communication
One of the biggest issues divorce attorneys face when someone is not being the best family law client is either not being able to reach their clients or clients communicating too much. First of all, too much communication is not necessarily a negative. However communication is part of billable hours. So, at the end of the month or billing cycle, many clients are displeased to find their bill higher than they thought.
According to a poll by the American Bar Association, 80 percent of what clients describe as “over-billing” comes from phone and e-mail conversations. It is important to remember, your divorce attorney will only contact you when they really need something. This helps keep your bill down, and helps keep you among those known as a best family law client.
In addition, your bill also will be lower if you attempt to handle little disputes with your spouse on your own. Many divorce attorneys will remind you to pick your battles. An argument over your spouse picking up their belongings late is probably not as important as your spouse hiding a separate bank account.
Be Prepared
If your attorney asks you to bring evidence, completed forms, or printouts of financial documents, make sure you bring those to the next meeting. You are paying for your divorce attorney’s expertise. If you come to a meeting unprepared, this means you may have to have another costly meeting, and will not really make you the best family law client.
If you are trying to prove a point in your case, provide evidence to your divorce attorney that supports this point. Your divorce attorney will not be able to create evidence or read your mind. Document everything that relates to your case and what you are trying to prove.
Listen
This is one of the most difficult issues in a divorce attorney-client relationship. Divorces are emotional, stressful and overwhelming. Many times a divorce attorney will give their client advice and the client doesn’t listen to that advice.
In a high-conflict divorce, sometimes your divorce attorney will instruct you not to contact your spouse, to abide by temporary or permanent custody orders, or not to change the status of any assets. However, because divorce can be so emotional, many times a client will engage in unhelpful conversations with their spouse or refuse to drop their child off for scheduled visitation.
Not listening to your divorce attorney can negatively affect your divorce case. It is difficult for your divorce attorney to argue for more child visitation if you are not following the current custody schedule.
Be On Time
Lastly, time management is extremely important to becoming the best family law client. Be on time paying invoices, arriving for in office appointments, and court hearings. There is nothing more difficult for a divorce attorney than having a client call at the end of the day on a Friday asking for an emergency order when they are three months behind in payments.
Divorce attorneys decided to work in the family law field because they want to help people. Their livelihood is tied directly into their fees they charge. When clients do not pay their bills, this can affect attorney bills such as office rent, office staff salaries, and their own salary.
Keeping up on bills, arriving on time to appointments and court, will ensure that the attorney-client relationship does not become strained.
Free Consultation with a Tulsa Child Custody Attorney
Hiring a divorce attorney when filing for divorce will ensure the process is expertly conducted and your interests are well represented.
Knowing how to improve and maintain the relationship with your attorney is essential in making sure your case is handled smoothly and minimizes any roadblocks.
Contact an experienced Tulsa divorce attorney when you need to go through the Oklahoma relocation process.
For a free confidential consultation, call now: 918-924-5526.
