Eight Skills That A Top Divorce Attorney Has

Getting divorced is hard enough. Ending a relationship, whether it lasted a couple of years or decades, is often a complicated and overwhelming ordeal. One person who can make the entire divorce process more peaceful, even help speed it up, is a divorce lawyer. They can help reduce the emotional stress of going through a divorce by taking care of your legal proceedings. They will also help you secure your financial future.

Needless to say, you need a qualified, skilled, and experienced divorce attorney in Utah. But is that enough? Are there any qualities that separate great divorce lawyers from the good ones? Can these qualities help you find a suitable attorney? 

Yes, they can! 

Skills that Makes Great Divorce Lawyers Different from others

Let’s understand what to look for when searching for a divorce attorney.

1. Excellent Communication Skills

Excellent communication skill is one of the must-have qualities you should look for in an attorney. Divorce lawyers need to be orally articulate. Your attorney should be able to communicate with you seamlessly, which involves writing, speaking, and listening.

Remember, your divorce attorney in Utah needs to speak convincingly before juries and judges in a courtroom. Moreover, they will have to negotiate the divorce with your spouse’s divorce lawyer. In other words, this is a critical skill your lawyer needs to have.

When screening divorce lawyers in Salt Lake City, make sure to check out their communication skills. Most lawyers offer a free consultation, which would be a good opportunity to gauge this skill.

2. Experience

The next quality that differentiates great divorce lawyers divorce lawyers from good ones is experience. Sure, a good academic background matters, but there is no substitute for the knowledge that comes with courtroom experience. After all, experience is the best teacher there is.

If your attorney is aware of what’s going on, it’s difficult for the opposition to blindside you. Thus, you wouldn’t have to end up losing arguments, or worse – your case. Make sure your lawyer has enough courtroom experience before signing them up. Usually, you can talk about it during the initial consultation.

3. Good Analytical Skills

Practicing family law requires absorbing large quantities of information, processing it, and deriving manageable and logical conclusions. It helps your divorce attorney handle your divorce proceedings as successfully as possible.

Usually, you will come across more than one legal option to resolve the conflict. And only divorce lawyers with excellent analytical skills can help you take the right course of action in such a situation. That’s why analytical thinking is a skill your divorce attorney must-have.

4. Professionalism

Professionalism is another critical quality your divorce attorney in Utah should boast. Without professionalism, your lawyer will not succeed in winning your case. It includes qualities such as punctuality, time management, hard work, transparency, and respect for the client.

You wouldn’t want to work with an attorney who is late to meetings, has hardly any time to listen to your concerns, or isn’t being transparent about the court proceedings or fees. Your lawyer should be your strongest ally in legally ending your marriage. When looking for divorce lawyers, consider professionalism front and center.

5. Availability

While interviewing divorce lawyers, you should consider their work hours and response time. How quickly does the lawyer respond to your messages, emails, or calls? Do they pay personal attention to your case? Can you reach them in case of an emergency? Even divorce proceedings may have emergencies warranting your attorney’s immediate attention.

At any point, most leading divorce lawyers would be working on more than one case – your attorney is no exception. So, you can’t expect your lawyer to call you back immediately. However, they should get in touch with you during work hours.

Moreover, it helps to choose a divorce lawyer with a moderate workload. If the lawyer has more caseload than they can handle, you are less likely to get personal attention. A moderately busy lawyer, on the other hand, will have more time to spend on your case. They will be quickly available should you have a doubt or emergency.

6. Resourceful

When searching for divorce lawyers in Salt Lake City, you need to understand how well-equipped they are. Your attorney should have a team of paralegals, investigators, and other team members to run the office efficiently.

Plus, they need to have enough legal and financial resources to handle every aspect of your court proceedings. This will help run things smoothly throughout the proceedings. That’s why hiring a lawyer who works alone in his office might not be a good idea.

A well-equipped lawyer can assign an associate to your case who will be your point of contact. You can get in touch with this associate if needed. They will handle all the routine tasks related to your case. With someone working on your case all the time, you will have a significant advantage in the courtroom, should the need arise.

7. People Skills

Let’s be honest. Almost every divorce goes through multiple negotiations until both parties agree to its terms and conditions. In fact, the majority of the cases will settle before trial. This means your lawyer will need to deal with the opposition frequently. These negotiations are more likely to go in your favor if your attorney has excellent people skills.

A personable, persuasive divorce attorney in Utah who is able to read others offers a distinct advantage. They can successfully gauge the reactions of your spouse’s lawyers, the honesty of witnesses, and even the jury’s reactions. It increases the chance of reaching a favorable negotiation with the opposition.

8. Honesty

Whether personal or professional, no relationship can last without honesty. When looking for divorce lawyers, this is a quality you can’t ignore. You need a divorce attorney in Utah who will always be honest with you. They should tell you the truth, no matter how harsh it may sound.

Knowing the truth early on helps you manage your expectations. It also helps make more informed decisions, bringing the painful legal ordeal to an end as quickly as possible. For example, knowing how much the divorce will cost can help you plan your finances. If a legal separation is a better option, an honest lawyer would suggest it. So, insist on working with an honest divorce attorney.

In Conclusion

Going through a divorce is an ordeal for most individuals. In these trying times, having a competent divorce attorney on your side is a huge help. They can help speed things up and try to get the most favorable outcome for your case. When looking for divorce lawyers, you should consider these eight qualities. They should help you separate the great ones from the good ones.

If you are looking for divorce lawyers in Utah, your search ends here. Our family-run firm has helped clients go through divorce for decades. Rest assured, we will give your case the personal attention it deserves. Please call us at (801) 521-4145 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation.