You commence your search for an experienced collaborative law attorney like you do any professional. You check with your friends and your professional acquaintances and try to find personal referrals. Remember that the facts of their case, their personalities, the size of their marital estate, and their personalities often factor significantly into the results that they have received and these factors will not be the factors in your case. Nevertheless, you want to ask friends, acquaintances, or professionals for recommendations.
How to Select a Collaborative Divorce Attorney
The next step is to research online. If you obtain some possible names as referrals, you should naturally check them out online including reviewing their websites. In reviewing their websites, you should determine:
- Whether they are a board-certified marital and family law specialist by the Florida Bar or your state bar association;
- Whether their website contains helpful information in collaborative law;
- Do their websites have blogs containing information concerning collaborative divorce? Do the attorneys have a YouTube channel in which they have videos regarding collaborative divorce?
- Ascertain if they are members of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the state organization, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the international organization. Both groups promote the education and practice of collaborative law and their websites have good explanatory information about the collaborative divorce process.
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Referrals and online searches are good beginning reference points. However, it will always boil down to meeting in person any perspective attorney. Remember, an important element in choosing any attorney or professional is chemistry. You have got to have a good feeling about the attorney and part of that comes from how well the attorney listens and communicates with you. Once you have found some experienced qualified collaborative divorce attorneys, you can decide based on your feeling about that attorney. If you feel good chemistry and communication with the collaborative divorce attorney, then that professional is probably the right person to represent you.
In addition, you are probably better off if you work with an experienced collaborative attorney. When you meet with a prospective collaborative divorce attorney, here are some of the questions you may wish to discuss:
- How long has the attorney practiced collaborative divorce?
- How many collaborative divorce cases has the attorney handled?
- Is the attorney a board-certified specialist in marital and family law?
- How often does the attorney obtain continuing legal education in collaborative law? What was the last course that the attorney participated in concerning continuing education in collaborative divorce?
- Has the attorney had a leadership position in a collaborative law group?
- What book would the attorney recommend that you (the potential client) read regarding collaborative divorce?
- In your opinion, what are the main reasons that some cases do not settle through the collaborative divorce process?
- Have you worked with my spouse’s lawyer (in a collaborative divorce case) previously? If so, what has been your experience with him or her?
- Beyond your initial training, how many hours of training have you received and how many hours of intermediate or advanced training have you received in collaborative divorce practice?
A collaborative divorce can provide a divorcing couple a far more private, peaceful, less expensive, & faster divorce than the usual litigated model. However, to obtain the advantages you must select a well-trained, experienced, and educated collaborative divorce attorney. Once you have found a couple experienced and qualified collaborative divorce attorneys, you can decide based on your feeling about that attorney. If you feel good chemistry and communication with the collaborative divorce attorney, then that professional is probably the right person to represent you.
Board Certified Marital and Family Law Attorney Charles D. Jamieson understands that divorce is an extremely sensitive and important issue. Thanks to extensive experience and a focus on open communication, Attorney Jamieson adeptly addresses the complex issues surrounding divorce while delivering excellent personal service. If you are involved in or contemplating a collaborative divorce, then immediately contact The Law Firm of Charles D. Jamieson, P. A. or call 561-478-0312 to schedule a consultation.
