Choosing a lawyer?
Blooming Sufi asked:
I need a lawyer in Gainesville, FL for a divorce. I’m on friendly terms with ex-to-be, and we have no children or assets, so it should be a clean & simple divorce. But there are so many lawyers to choose from in the phonebook, and all I want is an honest one who will get the job done right, & won’t rip me off or yank my chain. How do I select one?
I need a lawyer in Gainesville, FL for a divorce. I’m on friendly terms with ex-to-be, and we have no children or assets, so it should be a clean & simple divorce. But there are so many lawyers to choose from in the phonebook, and all I want is an honest one who will get the job done right, & won’t rip me off or yank my chain. How do I select one?
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:00 am
Chooing a lawyer is tough. If you have any friends who have used a lawyer, get their input. Some are satisfied, even if they lose. Some are dissatisfied, even if they win. So winning and losing are only part of the equation.
Personally visit with them and explain your case up front. They will tell you their costs and what you should expect from them and the system. Visit a few, and afterwards, go with your gut after carefully weighing the pros and cons.
You can check with your FLordia bar to see if there are any discipliarny sanctions or complaints about them as well.
As a side note, in Florida, you can qualify to do a pro-se (without a lawyer) and it will save you buckets of money. I did some legal assistance in Germany with the Army JAG Corps and Florida has a good system for this: You may meet the criteria since you are cooperative with each other and have no kids/assets.
You have to walk yourself through the filing system, but if you take your time and read everything carefully, it is pretty simple. You have to be thorough and complete.
Here is the resource: Go to this site and go to the “Self Help” section and from there go to Family Law. You can also get this information from your county courthouse, probably.
Simplified Divorce: Florida Law allows a simplified divorce that can be handled by the parties themselves in the following circumstances: Both parties must be present together at the time of filing and also at the final hearing. If any of the following conditions cannot be met then the Simplified Dissolution procedure cannot be used.
The parties certify under oath that:
There are no minor or dependent children (including adopted children) of the parties.
The wife is not now pregnant.
The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken and both agree that it cannot be reconciled.
The parties have made a satisfactory division of their property and have agreed as to payment of their joint obligations.
The husband and wife or one of them has been a resident of Florida for at least six months prior to filing the petition for divorce.
Both parties have signed the joint petition and all other papers needed to carry out the simplified dissolution procedure and have paid the required fees to the Clerk of Circuit Court.
Both parties agree that after the divorce becomes final, neither has any right to expect money or support from the other, except for what is included in the property settlement agreement.