Family Law Consultations: What to Expect & Questions to Ask?

What to Expect in Your Initial Consultation?

Basic Information

At the beginning of your consultation, your attorney will ask you to share background details to understand your marriage, family dynamics, and reason for the divorce. Expect questions regarding the length of your marriage, number of children, financial situation, and level of conflict with your spouse. This allows your lawyer to gauge the complexity of your case and strategize on the next potential steps.

The Divorce Process

Your attorney will explain the divorce process per your situation and needs. This includes the expected timeline, qualifying for a California divorce, the mandatory waiting period, an overview of contested v/s uncontested divorce, and alternative dispute resolutions. Put together, this information will help you manage expectations and realize the challenges you may face in the process.

Potential Challenges

After grasping your situation, your attorney will discuss potential challenges you may face, like high net-worth assets, child custody disputes, and child support and alimony concerns.

You’ll get a realistic assessment of what to expect, as well as strategies to overcome such challenges. Based on their prior experience of handling similar cases, a good attorney should be able to give you confidence in handling your case and navigating through the pitfalls.

Attorney’s Fees & Billing Practices

Divorce can be costly, especially if matters like asset division and custody are contested by the parties. Having an upfront knowledge of the attorney’s fee and billing structure is critical. Ask whether they charge an hourly rate or a flat fee. Some attorneys also require retainers, which will cost you more. Knowing their billing frequency and payment method will help you plan financially and avoid unexpected costs.

Questions to Ask in a Family Law Consultation

Having an attorney with significant experience in similar matters is invaluable. Ask how many cases they have handled and success rate, credentials in family law practice, and experience with cases similar to yours. Seasoned attorneys are more likely to anticipate challenges and also have access to professionals like psychologists, forensic accountants, business appraisers, etc.

Some spouses are able to settle their divorce outside the court through negotiation, mediation, and other collaborative means. Learn whether your lawyer suggests amicable methods over litigation for your situation, their experience in negotiating or mediating a settlement, and how they facilitate communication between both parties.

Your attorney’s skills in collaborative procedures can save you time, cost, and stress.

The length of any family law matter depends on the level of conflict between parties, the complexities involved, and court delays. Draw realistic expectations regarding the estimated timeline of your case, potential delays in the local court system, and strategies to speed up the process.

Knowing the timeline of your case will help you prepare mentally for the process ahead.

Divorce proceedings require excessive documentation. Ask your attorney for a checklist of documents you need for property division and child/spousal support calculations. Knowing what documents to file will give you time to gather and organize everything efficiently.

Experienced attorneys can read your situation and provide an honest assessment regarding the most likely outcome. While no attorney can guarantee results, they can use their knowledge and experience to inform how property division, child custody/support, and alimony will pan out in your case. They will also compare the probabilities of mediation versus trial in achieving your goals.

An attorney’s fee is just one of the many expenses you may have to incur in your divorce. Court filing fees, mediation fees, and expert witnesses may also add to the final cost. Ask your attorney whether your case will involve financial advisors or custody evaluators. Having an estimated idea of the costs involved will keep you financially stress-free and prepared for the process.

Your attorney should be available to address your queries and communicate effectively. Ask their preferred method of communication, how often can you expect updates, and who will be your point of contact.

Open communications will keep you informed and help you make timely decisions.

While this one's for you to decide, you should know their opinion as well. Pay attention to their communication style, experience, approach, and understanding of your situation to determine if they are the best fit for your case.

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Sonia Fernández

Jos exhibits exceptional compassion and understanding, promptly addressing all inquiries to facilitate clarity and calm throughout the process with comprehensive and sincere explanations. He offers potential solutions to minimize unnecessary court costs. His team operates efficiently and effectively to complete the task. I highly recommend this law firm as it operates with integrity.

Carlos Serrano

Thank you very much to Mr. Jos and to all his group of professionals who helped me get out of my child support case with a very good result. Each case is different and my case was very complicated. I live in the state of Virginia and the child support office of the state of California was starting a case against me, the amount they wanted me to pay was ridiculously high I didn't know what to do because I don't live in California and I had never met the child either. I searched online for a lawyer in California and thank God I found Mr. Jos's law office. I don't know them personally but I put my trust in them and they didn't disappoint me. We had very good communication despite the distance and they were always available to talk to me and clarify my doubts. Mr. James was the one who took my case to the end and after a long and very difficult process everything went very well in my favor much more than expected. I am very grateful to God for putting the entire team of professionals from Mr. Jos' office on my way. Words are not enough for me to describe everything they did for me and how grateful I am. I definitely recommend Mr. Jos's law firm. Thank you Mr. James for not giving up in my case and having achieved a magnificent result in my favor.

Alexandra Duvall

Jos Family Law has been absolutely fantastic in helping me through my child custody case. Mr Jos communicated with me throughout the entire process. He was very empathetic and understanding with my case and my concerns. The team was always supportive and never once did I feel like they didn’t take my case seriously. I’m so grateful I chose this law firm to represent me and I would 100% recommend this team to anyone seeking assistance. In the end I received the outcome I was looking for which was Sole Physical Custody. Thank you so much Jos Family for representing me.

Marco Galatro

This was the second attorney that represented me for my divorce. Binoye is a very knowledgeable, fair, and professional attorney. They are reliable and this made my experience way less painful. They are definitely not greedy for money, they are not one of the many attorneys out there who overbill for their services. I truly recommend them.

Roya

Mr. Jos is by far the best attorney l've ever had to work with. He is diligent, extremely prepared and informed and patient with his clients and goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure you get the results you are hoping for. I recommend him to anyone who needs a Family attorney.

Ricardo Lajaruna

My most sincere gratitude to the attorney Mr. James Sowers, who is very knowledgeable about the law, works with and for his clients. He is very transparent, honest and I am very grateful for his great support. His legal representation is highly recommended!!!

Nader Zayid

JOS family Law took on my case which entailed custody and move away components and I honestly could not say enough great things about JOS Family Law! Mr. Jos is not only extremely knowledgeable and professional, but it is also extremely obvious how much he cares for his clients on a personal level as well. There is an expression that two heads are better than one, however, Mr. Jos' philosophy takes it further as eight heads are better than two. It was so impressive and reassuring how collaborative everyone at the office works together to meet on regular cadences and discuss their client's cases to brainstorm strategies in order to seek the best possible outcome for their clients. Mr. Jos has an amazing team of extremely talented and knowledgeable attorneys that have worked together on my case. James was the lead attorney on my case and also represented me in my hearing. James was able to get us everything we were asking for as he successfully proved that full custody remaining with me is in the best interest of the children and that the move away is in the best interest of the children as well. We were able to come up with a plan to ensure that the children's mother can visit regularly and still maintain a healthy relationship. James is a rock star attorney! I would without hesitation refer anyone seeking help in a family law matter to call Jos Family Law!

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