Are you looking for a child custody attorney? This can be a very difficult time, especially if there are divorce lawyers and other legal representation involved. Kids can feel very overwhelmed and insecure when all of these things are happening so you need to make sure that the child custody attorney or child support attorney that you find is someone who is going to help your kids feel more comfortable as they go through the entire process. Here are a few things that you should look for in the lawyer.
Kindness
Having a rude, condescending child custody attorney isn’t going to do anybody any favors. They are going to need to see you for who you really are. They need to believe in you and want you to win. Otherwise, they won’t try very hard and you will end up losing your children. Find a lawyer that is a kind and caring person. They are dealing with children after all and their job is to make sure the children are where they will thrive and be in a loving and supportive environment. Your job is to show them that that is what your home would be for them.
Empathy
Sympathy and empathy are different. You don’t need your lawyer to sympathize with you but they should be empathetic to your plight. They need to realize that you are going through a lot and be able to judge the difference between an emotional break down because this particular situation is too much for you and a general mental instability. Everyone needs a good cry once in awhile and there is nothing wrong with that. Your lawyer is going to end up being a shoulder to cry on as well as your representation so they should learn to be empathetic.
Impartiality
Don’t find a lawyer that has had their own child custody battles. You may think that’s a good thing if they have because they know what you are going through. However, this isn’t always good for you. The problem here is that the lawyer could bring their own personal grievances into your case. Now, a good lawyer won’t, but there is always the possibility of becoming a little more emotionally invested than they should be. You need someone that can be as unbiased as possible and see things from an objective view. Getting personal involved is never a good idea.
Experience
This is not talking about personal experience, as mentioned above. This is in reference to their professional experience. It would be good if your lawyer had been through cases like this before and had won. In your initial consultation with the lawyer that you are considering hiring, don’t be afraid to ask about their cases. Find out how many cases like yours they have dealt with before and how many they have won. This will give you a better idea of how good the lawyer is when handling situations like what you are going through.
These are things that you probably want in any lawyer that you hire, be it a child custody attorney, divorce attorney or something else entirely. However, the reason that you particularly want to make sure that these things are in the lawyer that you find for a situation involving your children is for that very reason; your children are involved. Now, the lawyer may not be dealing directly with your kids but they will be indirectly. You’ll want them to meet your children because you’ll need your lawyer to see them as humans and for who they really are rather than just names on a paper or document. When the lawyer meets your kids, they should know how to handle children and how to pay attention to them instead of ignoring them or worse, scaring them. That won’t help anything.
Another helpful way to choose a lawyer is to let your kids help. Kids have great intuition because they have not yet learn not to rely on it. We should all rely on our intuition but unfortunately, as adults, we tend to doubt ourselves more. Children are much better at reacting to their first impressions, which are usually correct.