Traits to Look for in a Divorce Attorney

Willingness to negotiate

Cases in which the parties are close to settling all or some of their divorce issues can benefit from divorce lawyers that are willing to help negotiate settlements out-of-court. Additionally, much time, money, and stress associated with contested divorce cases can be drastically reduced. However, in highly contested divorces, negotiating settlements may not be an option and a good divorce lawyer may be more valuable.

Assertive

An assertive divorce lawyer is typically confident, but not arrogant, and knows when it is ok to be assertive and when it is not. Additionally, such an attorney will often demonstrate confidence in the courtroom through his/her experience and may remain unemotional throughout your divorce proceedings. The attorney’s communication with the opposing counsel will typically be amicable, but when under attack, he/she will not be afraid to assert his/her client’s position.

Approachable

Approachable divorce attorneys are easy to talk to and easy to get in contact with. When you request to speak with them they will make themselves available and return your call in a timely manner. However, an approachable attorney is not an attorney that will engage in meaningless conversations that have no relevance to your case. Typically, an approachable attorney will demonstrate good listening skills in a conversation and will politely inform you if they believe you are getting off the subject to make the best use of his/her time.

If you plan to retain a divorce lawyer to help you with your divorce, taking into consideration the above 5 traits of a prospective attorney before you hire him/her might save you a surprising amount of time, money, and stress during your divorce proceedings.

Family law attorney, Eric M. Gansberg, Esq., is located on Staten Island, New York, and represents men and women with divorce, child support and family law throughout the New York City area, including Staten Island, Annadale, Arden Heights, Bay Terrace, Dongan Hills, Eltingville, Emerson Hill, Fort Wadsworth, Graniteville, Grant City, Grasmere, Great Kills, Greenridge, Grymes Hill, Heartland Village, Huguenot, Lighthouse Hill, Midland Beach, New Dorp, New Springville, Oakwood, Old Town NY, Pleasant Plains, Prince's Bay, Randall Manor, Richmond Valley Richmondtown, Rosebank, Rossville, Shore Acres, Silver Lake, South Beach, St. George, Tottenville Beach, Ward Hill, Westerleigh, Willowbrook, Woodrow, other areas of Staten Island, New York City, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Long Island, Suffolk County, Nassau County, Westchester County, and Rockland County.