How to Prepare for Divorce

How to choose a divorce lawyer? The best way to identify the right lawyer for you is to ask friends and relatives if they can recommend a good lawyer with a lot of experience in divorce law. Try and get two or three names. If you can't locate any good referrals, go to the library and get the Martindale Hubbel Legal Directory. Every large library has it, and it lists lawyers by region and specialty.

To narrow down the list of lawyers in your area who work in divorce law, call the offices and ask for the hourly rate. The range varies greatly in different areas of the country (i.e., California lawyers typically charge more than Wisconsin lawyers). Generally expect the range to be between $100 to $3000 per hour. (There are some attorneys who will give a low-cost, fixed-rate divorce for marriages with few assets and no minor children.) Be realistic. If you have many valuable assets to divide and/or conflicted child-custody issues, you may need to pay more toward the high end to get a lawyer with the experience and knowledge to adequately handle your situation.

Make appointments with at least two lawyers and expect to pay the hourly rate for this initial interview. It is worth paying for an interview meeting to ensure that you find an attorney who you can trust and feel comfortable with. Normally, as you are deciding if this attorney is right for you, the attorney is deciding if your case is right for him or her. (So, even if, after this first meeting, you have decided this particular lawyer isn't right for you, expect to get a bill in the mail. If the attorney decides not to accept your case, they may not charge you for this time, but make sure you clarify this arrangement before you walk through the door.)

When you decide on an attorney, be prepared to pay a retainer or engagement fee. This can either be money paid in advance for future time spent and work done on your case, and your bills will reflect subtractions from this amount, or it may be simply a one-time fee in exchange for a guarantee that the attorney will represent you. In the latter case, you will have to pay additionally for every hour the attorney spends working on your case.