4 Tips for Effectively Communicating With Your Family Lawyer
Lawyer Magazine
4 Tips for Effectively Communicating With Your Family Lawyer
Navigating the complexities of legal family matters requires effective communication with your attorney. Insights from a CEO & Founding Attorney and a Trial Attorney provide valuable strategies on this topic. The article begins with the tip to "Be Organized with Your Communication" and concludes with the advice to "Prepare with Documents and Questions", offering a total of four expert insights. These tips aim to ensure a smoother and more constructive legal experience.
- Be Organized with Your Communication
- Make the Most of Time Together
- Schedule Calls in Advance
- Prepare with Documents and Questions
Be Organized with Your Communication
Communication with your family lawyer throughout a case is essential, but as a divorce and custody lawyer, I am very aware of how quickly legal fees increase due to ineffective communication. We provide all our new clients with a guide to help them keep their legal fees down, and the best way to do this is to be organized. This means putting all your thoughts and questions into one email that goes out once per week (unless there is an emergency situation of course) rather than sending piecemeal emails randomly throughout the week. Unless it's for a very quick question, avoid using text messaging with your lawyer as that can take more time than responding to an email. And if your email is more than a paragraph, schedule a call with your attorney. Sometimes a 5-10 minute call can provide the same information that it might take to read and respond to a long email. We've found that the clients who follow these communication instructions are overall more satisfied because they get all their questions answered and keep their legal fees lower!
Make the Most of Time Together
The most effective tip for working with your family lawyer is understanding how to make the most of your time together.
Divorce lawyers genuinely care about clients and want to help - we're parents, spouses, and human beings too.
That's why we're upfront about smart ways to approach legal services: communicate during business hours unless it's truly urgent, document important events in an organized way, and use your attorney's preferred communication methods.
Many family law attorneys in our jurisdiction bill in 6-minute (1/10th hour) increments. We're conscious about doing what we can to keep costs manageable, understanding separation and divorce can be a complicated, time-consuming, and therefore somewhat expensive process.
When clients are struggling emotionally (which is completely normal during family law matters), we gently remind them that while we're always here to help with legal issues, having a good counselor or therapist on your team can be invaluable for emotional support. It's also very likely less expensive.
We think strong attorney-client relationships happen when we work together efficiently - you help us help you by staying organized and prepared. Don't wait until the last minute to do things or reach out for help.
Remember: your attorney wants to be there for you and help work through your legal problems. Even in a collaborative divorce setting, we know it can be a tough, emotional time. We want to explain the system and how things work and guide you through the process.
Document important events, organize your thoughts before calling, and save those midnight messages for true emergencies.
Schedule Calls in Advance
One key tip for effectively communicating with your family lawyer is to schedule your phone calls or meetings in advance. Lawyers often have packed schedules, and an unscheduled call might catch them unprepared, especially if they need to review your case file beforehand. By scheduling a time, you ensure the lawyer is fully prepared to address your concerns efficiently, which ultimately saves time and provides better outcomes for your case. Emailing can be helpful for minor updates, but for substantive discussions, a scheduled call allows for a more thorough and productive exchange. This approach also ensures that you're making the most of the time you're billed for, as the lawyer is ready to focus on your needs without delays.
Prepare with Documents and Questions
Be well-prepared for your meetings by organizing ahead of time with the necessary documents and questions. If you are the one scheduling the appointment, feel free to email your lawyer in advance with an agenda. This allows them to review the relevant documents and notes in your file, ensuring the time is used as efficiently as possible.
