Going through a divorce or a separation can be an incredibly difficult experience and finding the right legal support can be vital to ensuring the situation gets the best resolution possible.
Finding the right family solicitor can be difficult. There’s a huge number of options, and furthermore, there’s so many different qualities to consider. In this article we examine what you should look for in a good family solicitor.
What are the best qualities of a family solicitor?
The most obvious quality people know to look for is technical ability and a wide-ranging knowledge of the relevant laws.
It’s important a solicitor knows how to properly handle paperwork and forms. This is a demanding part of any legal situation, and failure to properly fill out court paperwork can lead to lengthy (and expensive) delays. A solicitor should be able to clearly communicate information and offer advice
However, this is simply to be expected of any lawyer, and on its own technical knowledge is not enough to provide the support that is expected of a good solicitor.
Empathy
The legal cases a family solicitor will be dealing with are often very sensitive. Ranging from divorces and child custody to domestic abuse and neglect, these legal situations require an incredible amount of sensitivity and care to handle them properly.
Approaching these situations with a high degree of empathy is vital. For many people, the loss of custody of children or separation from a partner is a bereaving, incredibly hard to deal with situation. A family law solicitor must be able to not just represent a client but empathise with them and their situation. A good family solicitor will not add additional stress or anxiety to an already difficult situation.
Experience
It’s important to find a solicitor with a high degree of experience.
Solicitors have the knowledge of the law due to their training, but experience is another matter. It is important to investigate as to whether a solicitor has handled similar cases to yours, what kind of cases your solicitor has dealt with in the past, and how they have approached these cases.
The more experience your solicitor has, the better they will be able to tackle your current issues.
Creativity
A good family solicitor must be creative and can quickly come up with solutions to complex cases. While many cases share similarities, few are ever really the same, and so a solicitor must be capable of quickly offering unique solutions to solve the problems their clients are facing.
Organisation and time management
Much of the vital work done by a solicitor is to reduce the workload their client will face. There is a huge amount of paperwork to prepare, and this must be properly reviewed and checked. Important decisions by courts are predicated on the paperwork which is submitted and because of this, it is vital that a solicitor is fully capable in this regard.
This is not just handling demanding paperwork but also the organising of important resources and materials as well.
Furthermore, time management is a vital skillset. Meetings need to be properly organised, any important court dates fully prepared for, and everything must run as smoothly as possible.
Emphasising a constructive approach
It is important a family solicitor promotes a constructive approach to family issues.
A solicitor should never want to go to court and should always treat this as a last-ditch measure. The work of a solicitor revolves around providing advice and making clear the options available to a client and the other parties involved. It is their job to ensure that a fair outcome is reached and that that ensures any damaged relationships are not further worsened.
A good family solicitor will recognise that emotions can run very high, and these have to be carefully managed and dealt with. A solicitor won’t make choices on behalf of the client – rather they’ll ensure a client is best equipped to make their own decisions.
Confidentiality and Trust
It is important that a solicitor fully adheres to confidentiality. The assurance of a client’s privacy is vital and is a key part of the trust that is shared between a client and a solicitor.
Because of the sensitive nature of topics that are involved in family law it is vital you can fully trust your solicitor.
Conclusion – a comprehensive set of skills and traits make up a good solicitor
A good family lawyer clarkston isn’t defined by any single trait. They must be empathetic, trustworthy, experienced, and capable of constructive engagement with the other party.