Choosing the best attorney to handle your divorce, domestic violence, paternity or other family law matter can be one of the most important decisions in your life. It is important that you take the time to research your options and interview numerous attorneys to choose the proper fit for you. There are hundreds of divorce attorneys in New Mexico of varying backgrounds, skills and experience.
The very first consideration when searching for a divorce law firm and attorney is to find an attorney that you get along with, that you respect, and that listens to you. Attorneys by nature like to talk, but when you first meet an attorney their job should be to listen to your explanation of the facts involved in your case and to understand your goals and desires in the case. Divorce attorneys will only understand the likely or possible outcomes in your case if they listen to you. Over the years, we have had a significant number of potential clients call our firm that already have attorneys and they are looking to make a change. The most common reasons clients want to hire a different attorney is because their attorney (a) doesn’t call them back; (b) doesn’t listen to them; (c) doesn’t work with them on the case. In our experience, the best divorce attorneys we have worked with on cases are the lawyers that listen to their client, understand their goals, advise their client about the proper direction to move forward in the case, but they must also have the ability to be aggressive when necessary.
Family law attorneys must have significant experience in order to properly handle a divorce or other family law case. This is not to say that an inexperienced attorney cannot successful complete a case; however, there is an extremely small likelihood that an inexperienced attorney will resolve your case with a result favorable to you, at an expected cost, within a reasonable time-frame. There is a practical reason that experience matters in a divorce case, which is the overall cost will be reduced by having an experienced attorney. This concept seems counter-intuitive since the more experienced attorneys often charge a higher hourly rate. The reason is because experienced attorneys already have a significant knowledge base concerning divorce law and procedures, which they do not need to spend time, and charge you, to research law. Attorneys charge a wide array of hourly fees for their services. Some attorneys will charge as low as $250 per hour, while other attorneys charge upwards of $400 per hour. We believe that the attorney’s rate should be reasonable considering their experience and efficiency.
Ask questions about the attorney’s staff, and if you think you might want to hire the attorney, ask to meet his or her paralegal. If our law firm is on your list of 3-5 possible candidates, feel free to give us a call today to schedule your consultation. We will take the time to listen to what is important to you. We are conveniently located in Albuquerque. You can reach us at 505-880-8737 or by emailing us at info@JusticeLegalGroup.com.