6 Questions To Ask a Custody Lawyer During a Consultation

To find the right custody lawyer, you need to ask the right questions. Go into your family lawyer consultations with a list of questions and a place to write down answers.

While the lawyers will ask you questions at these consultations, don't forget you are interviewing them for a job. You should have enough questions to fill your allotted time, especially since some lawyers will let you take the driver's seat for the meeting.

Order your questions by how important they are, leaving unessential ones at the end. If you're a quick typer, you might want to type the answers so you can get through as many as possible.

Above all, focus on questions that will help you find the right custody lawyer for you.

Family lawyers say to ask these questions during your consultation

When meeting with family lawyers at your initial consultations, consider asking these six questions. Be sure to add your own as well.

What is your approach?

Start off with a simple, "What is your approach to child custody cases?" as Lisa. L. Stewart of the Vaught Law Firm suggests.

This allows the lawyer to tell you about any specialties or philosophies they have. For instance, they may be trained in collaborative law or feel strongly about standing up for fathers' rights.

Then you can share what is most important to you and see whether your approaches align.

Can you help us reach a settlement?

Anita Savage of Goranson Bain Ausley suggests asking, "How can you help me keep my family out of a courtroom?"

Reaching an agreement and avoiding trial should be a high priority for you, unless there has been domestic violence or your ex is completely unreasonable. The lawyer you're meeting with may have ideas about negotiation methods or specific proposals to make to the other parent.

While you should pose this question to every lawyer you meet with, dig more with any lawyer that seems zealous about getting you into litigation.

Is my parenting time request reasonable?

When emotions run high, they can cloud judgment. While you may feel the parenting time you want is reasonable, lawyers may not agree.

Kelsey Mulholland of Family Focused Legal Solutions says the most important question to ask is whether your desired parenting time arrangement is realistic. "The attorney can then provide feedback and let the party know the likelihood of that custody or parenting time schedule being put into place," she says.

Getting opinions from a few lawyers is a great idea here. Their consensus is likely how your judge will feel as well.

What are the steps ahead of me?

After you have a basic grasp of how each lawyer operates, have them explain the local custody process to you. You'll need this information no matter whom you hire, and hearing it from multiple people will increase your understanding and help you choose the lawyer who explains things most clearly.

Karen Grayson-Rodgers of The Salvo Law Firm says, "Many (parents) think they will jump to trial, but before a court will allow a trial, the parties must first attend mandatory mediation. If unsuccessful, custody evaluations with a psychologist will follow."

This is true in most jurisdictions, but ask your lawyer candidates to explain the specifics in your area. You'll want to be prepared for what could be a long road ahead of you.

Can I afford this?

Of course, you need to ask your lawyer about their fees. You can also ask about ways to cut legal costs, such as by drafting your own parenting plan.

Don't forget to also ask, "What are the short-term and long-term financial effects of this proposed custody split?" Todd Spodek, managing partner of the Spodek Law Group, says this is critical. Your custodial arrangement could affect taxes, child support and more.

Know what you're looking at financially so your new phase of life begins stably.

What records should I gather?

Before you leave the consultation, ask each attorney what information you should start gathering. This will be helpful even if you decide not to work with them.

Matthew L. Kreitzer at Northern Valley Law says he tells clients in contested cases to keep records of everything. "Text messages, emails, letters," he specifies. "These will be vital to your lawyer." You can also keep detailed notes in a parenting journal.

Staying organized throughout your case

Finding the right family lawyer is only the beginning of your journey to child custody. You may need to create a parenting plan, draft multiple custody schedules, track your parenting time, calculate expenses and beyond.

The Custody X Change app enables you to do all that in one place.

With a parenting plan template, custody calendars, a parenting time tracker, an expense tracker and more, Custody X Change makes sure you're prepared for whatever issues arise during your case.

Take advantage of our technology to stay on top of all the moving parts of your case.