Your lawyer should send you a copy of everything that crosses his or her desk. That way, you can stay up-to-date on what is happening with any pleadings, briefs, documents, letters, and any and all correspondence concerning your case.
Remember, you are the one living with the results of your case, not the lawyer. Therefore, it is important that you feel that you are informed about the facts in your case, the pros and cons of each step that might be taken, including settlement negotiations and other matters in the decision making process.
The most common complaint heard from clients is that the lawyer doesn’t return phone calls. Waiting for a call back when you’re in distress makes minutes seem like hours, and hours like days. You can help your lawyer by being organized:
Write down your questions. Save up several questions to ask your lawyer all at once since he or she may have a minimum charge for phone calls. Leave enough space between questions to write in the answers.
Consider faxing, e-mailing, or mailing your questions instead of telephoning. This gives your lawyer a written record of your question, prompting a clear, well organized written response to which you can refer later.
The more research you can do to help yourself, the better. For a list of good books, see http://www.peace-talks.com/books.php. Also, be sure to visit our resource center at
http://www.peace-talks.com/resources.php.
Excerpted from Your Divorce Advisor: A Lawyer and a Psychologist Guide You Through the Legal and Emotional Landscape of Divorce (Simon & Schuster/Fireside 2001). For more information: http://www.yourdivorceadvisor.com/.
For more information contact Peace Talks www.peace-talks.com
(C) 2008 Peace Talks Mediation Services, Inc.
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