5 Qualities You Should Look Out For When Hiring Family Law Specialists
We understand that it is a stressful, tiring and challenging time when your relationship breaks down and the last thing you want to do is to worry about finding a family law firm in Sydney who you can speak to and trust to fight in your best interests.
Our Divorce Lawyers have the five qualities that you should always look for when considering hiring Divorce Lawyers in a family law firm.
1. TRUST AND CONFIDENCE
A good family and divorce lawyer should be able to retain your trust and confidence.
An early indication of whether a family law firm should be trusted is whether they have the integrity to tell you about the strengths and weaknesses of your case without making any superficial promises. A Sydney family lawyer who tells you that your case will be completely smooth sailing is generally not the divorce lawyer who you should choose as your divorce lawyer.
At the initial appointment, consider whether the divorce lawyer is attempting to work together with you to understand your needs or whether the family law firm is simply dismissive and inattentive.
If you decide to retain the family law firm, the divorce lawyer should be able to build on that trust and confidence by communicating with you on a regular basis to advise you on the optimal strategy and path to take in pursuing your family law matter in your best interests.
2. COMPASSION AND PATIENCE
Family law breakdowns are extremely personal and difficult matters. If your divorce lawyer is not compassionate and is impatient when dealing with your issues, it is generally a good sign to leave and find a better Sydney family lawyer.
The best kind of divorce lawyers should be able to confidently assert themselves without being aggressive or dismissive. The environment that you need when addressing your family law issues with your divorce lawyer should be comforting and the divorce lawyer should be able to understand your point of view when determining what is in your best interests and not in the interests of the family law firm.
The goal for the divorce lawyer should not simply be to be successful by getting to a win for you, but they should be able to review the circumstances around your case and determine the most positive outcome for your situation which includes a situation which leaves a positive outcome for you and your children and if you can, still remaining amicable with your spouse.
3. WRITING SKILLS AND DILIGENCE
Filing court documents within the family law system is extremely important.
If your family law matter proceeds to the Family Court and the relevant Family Law Court documents have been filed, the Family Law Judge who is reviewing your case has most likely made their decision based on the documents filed before you attend the court room. Accordingly, you need to ensure that you have an experienced divorce lawyer who knows how to present your family law case to the Family Court.
For long term relationships or relationships with children or a large quantity of assets, drafting an accurate, complete and appropriate story of your relationship for the Family Court is extremely crucial when advocating for your divorce matter. You definitely do not want the Family Law Judge to get lost or become confused with your story.
As such, we recommend looking out for whether the divorce lawyer is directly involved in the preparation and review of the Family Law Court documents and whether they regularly consult with you to obtain the most accurate story to present to the judge.
4. HIGHLY QUALIFIED SKILL SET
A great firsthand indicator of when a divorce lawyer is knowledgeable is whether they have obtained Specialist Accreditation in family law.
Family Law Specialist Accreditation is awarded to family lawyers who are recognised by the Law Society of New South Wales as experts in Family law. After conducting a rigorous assessment of the divorce lawyer, the Law Society will determine whether that divorce lawyer has proven their expertise in family law, whether they are reliable and whether the quality and delivery of their family law services meets the standards of the Law Society.
When considering a family law firm, we recommend that you look to see whether their divorce lawyers have the ‘Accredited Specialist’ symbol next to their name.
5. CREATIVITY
Despite popular belief, the law is generally not black and white.
A good family lawyer understands that the circumstances within each relationship will not be the same and each family may require different family law advice to another family to suit their best interests. For example, what is considered the bests interest of a child in one family law parenting proceeding may not be the best interests of another child in another Family law matter.
As such, family lawyers must be creative to customise a strategy to help you and your family achieve a favourable outcome in your divorce matter.