Finding the right family lawyers in Melbourne is a delicate balance of locating them – through word of mouth or online – and then assessing them via different criteria such as cost, temperament and communication styles. Read on for a quick guide to help you locate a trusted family lawyer.
Ask Your Circle of Acquaintances
When you’re looking for the right family lawyers in Melbourne, it can help to ask some of your acquaintances for recommendations. If you know of someone who has been through a divorce, they may know of a reputable family lawyer that they can vouch for. It’s better to get a recommendation from someone you know and trust than choose family lawyers at random. When you have someone who vouches for a certain family lawyer,you’re more assured of a positive outcome, and you can have faith in the professional ability of your lawyer. Your acquaintance wouldn’t put you onto bad lawyers, so if you trust them, you can trust their recommendation.
Search Online
If none of your acquaintances know of good family lawyers, then you may be left with no choice but to carry out an online search. Simply type “family lawyers in Melbourne”into your favourite search engine. You’ll then be greeted with a large list of potential family lawyer firms to choose from. One way of decreasing your search time is to take a look at review sites, where past clients have had their say on the worth of the services of various family lawyers. They’ll be rated from 1 star to 5 stars, which will give you a broad indication of what kind of service you can expect from each firm. From there, you can choose the top five rated firms that are conveniently located near you, and go to their websites to see how they present themselves. Your next step is calling for a free or low cost initial consultation with each firm to see how they appear in person.
Enquire About Cost
When you’re in a low cost or free consultation, it’s vital that you ask about the cost of family lawyers in Melbourne. You need to know what you’re in for, financially speaking, before it happens. Some family lawyers could be above your budget, and you need to know this sooner rather than later so you can rule that firm out. Other firms may have more flexible billing on a sliding scale for different budgets. There are two different ways that lawyers can bill you – by the hour, or via flat fees. Be aware that billing by the hour can add up quickly, with even a few short calls on the phone making a big difference to your bill. If you’re worried about bills escalating, you may wish to investigate family lawyers that offer flat fee pricing.
Consider Temperament
When you first meet family lawyers in Melbourne, make sure you pay attention to your initial impressions of them and their personal temperament. Their personality should be compatible with yours. This is very important, because you’ll need to discuss very personal matters with them, so you need to feel like you can trust the family lawyer that you end up choosing. If you get along well with your lawyer, then divulging personal information won’t be such a problem. In your first session with your lawyer, you should also ask about communication styles and preferences. You need to have clear expectations on how often you will receive communications from them and through which media – phone call, text, or email? Getting these things out of the way early on will improve the working relationship.
