How To Look For The Right Lawyer To Represent You In Divorce Proceedings?
When you decide that your relationship is no longer working and a divorce is the right course to take, the first question that arises is “Do I need a lawyer” and “How do I look for the right lawyer to represent me?” Choosing the right lawyer is essential, so it is crucial that proper consideration is given on whether a lawyer is needed and if so, who to choose! Some will decide that they can handle the divorce process by themselves, others will hire a lawyer to assist with mediation and/or divorce proceedings.
There are many options. When considering who to choose as your lawyer, you should consider the following:
Do Research: Ask your family and/or friends to see if they have any lawyer contacts who they trust and can recommend. You may also go online to the Hong Kong Law Society’s Website for a list of law firms that practice matrimonial law. You might want to narrow your options down to a couple of law firms to choose from and have a look online to see if there are any reviews or articles written on the firm or the lawyer to give you feedback on their quality or capabilities.
Ask Questions: It is important to ask questions and don’t be shy in asking them. The kind of questions you should be asking your potential lawyer are “What type of matrimonial cases have you worked on?”, “Have you worked on divorce cases before?”, “What approach should we take in our case?” “Do you have any associates or trainee solicitors to assist you with the work or should I expect the work to be done mainly by you?” It is important to ask these questions in your initial meeting because it will help you see if the personalities are a match to work together. The last thing you want is to fight with your lawyer as well as your spouse in a lengthy divorce, and the lawyer that you choose should be someone that you feel you can confidently trust to handle your case in the best way possible.
Fees: There are some matrimonial law firms that charge on an hourly basis and others may charge on a fixed fee basis. The fee structure of a firm do not necessarily reflect the quality of their legal advice; different firms can have different charging policies. Fees may become a concern if your divorce is contested and/or involves complicated legal issues. Thus, it is important to be aware of the range of costs that you are obliged to pay and if it is feasible for you. Usually, the initial retainer fees will only get you so far in a divorce and you will be required to pay additional charges going forward.
Consider Alternative Representation: Lastly, there is the possibility that you may wish to change your legal representation partway through your divorce proceedings. This could be for a number of reasons. Perhaps you may prefer to use someone else as you feel you could get more value for money or you feel more comfortable working with them. It is not unusual to change your lawyer in a divorce, so don’t shy away from doing so. You may be hesitant to change your lawyer as you have spent so much time and money on them, but you will more likely to save more money and be able to get the results you wanted with the lawyer that you want to work with, rather than continuing with representation who you may have lost faith in, or whom you no longer wish to represent you.
You may feel that choosing the right lawyer is already such a difficult task, not to say that divorce proceedings haven’t even started yet. This article is intended to be a guide for you to make the decision. Ultimately, you should use the lawyer with whom you feel most comfortable working with and we would be more than happy to recommend a list of qualified matrimonial lawyers in Hong Kong. Please email us at info@hongkongdivorce.com.
