What Should a Family Law Attorney Do For You? | San Diego Family Law
If you’re going through a divorce or another family law matter for the first time, you may have no idea what your attorney is actually supposed to do for you.
Do they just handle the paperwork? Do they tell you what to do? How involved should they be?
A good family law attorney should do much more than simply represent you in court.
Your attorney should help you understand what is happening, what choices you have, and what each choice could mean for you and your family.
1. Your Attorney Should Explain What’s Happening
Family law can involve unfamiliar terms, court deadlines, financial documents, custody issues, and a lot of paperwork.
You shouldn’t have to figure all of that out on your own.
Your attorney should explain:
- What is happening in your case
- What needs to happen next
- What deadlines you need to know about
- What information or documents your attorney needs from you
- What you can expect as the case moves forward
You don’t need to become a family law expert. You should understand what is happening in your own case.
2. Your Attorney Should Explain Your Options
There is often more than one way to handle a family law dispute.
Depending on your circumstances, your options may include negotiating with the other side, participating in mediation, requesting temporary court orders, or preparing for a hearing or trial.
Each option can involve different costs, risks, timelines, and potential outcomes.
Your attorney should explain those differences so you can make informed decisions about how to proceed.
3. Your Attorney Should Help You Understand the Tradeoffs
Not every decision in a family law case is simply about winning or losing.
For example, pursuing a particular issue in court may help you pursue an important goal, but it may also take additional time and money. Likewise, settling an issue may save time and expense, but may require compromise.
Your attorney should help you understand what you may gain, what you may give up, and what each approach could require from you.
4. Your Attorney Should Help You Prepare
A good strategy is not just about reacting to what happens in court.
Your attorney should help you prepare for what may come next.
That can include identifying important documents, gathering financial information, preparing for negotiations, anticipating issues the other side may raise, and making sure you understand what will be expected of you at hearings or other proceedings.
The more prepared you are, the fewer surprises there may be along the way.
5. Your Attorney Should Keep Your Goals in Focus
You may begin your case with a very specific goal:
“I want 50/50 custody.”
“I want to keep the house.”
“I want this divorce over as quickly as possible.”
Those goals matter.
But your attorney should also help you understand what it may take to achieve them and whether there are other ways to accomplish what matters most to you.
Sometimes the most direct path isn’t the most practical one.
Think of Your Attorney as Your Navigator
A family law case can be a little like navigating unfamiliar waters.
You are the one who decides where you want to go. Your attorney helps you understand the route.
Your attorney should identify potential obstacles, explain the available paths, and help you understand the resources each path may require.
But ultimately, you are the one making the decisions.
Your attorney’s job is to give you the legal advice and information you need to make those decisions with confidence.
What Should You Expect From Your Attorney?
At the end of the day, you should be able to answer some basic questions about your case:
What is happening?
What are my options?
What could each option cost me?
What are the risks?
What happens next?
If you are facing a divorce, custody dispute, support issue, or another family law matter, you shouldn’t feel like you’re navigating the process alone.
Your attorney should help you understand the road ahead and help you decide how you want to travel it.
Schedule a free consultation today with one of our California family law attorneys.
Reviewed by Attorney Jeffrey P. Mach, Jr., a California family law attorney with almost 20 years of experience handling prenups, divorce and custody matters.
