Listen and Find Good Attorneys in Court

written by Fred Campos
Listen and Find Good Attorneys in Court by Fred Campos https://www.DaddyGotCustody.com

[T]he goal is to have five attorneys on your short list before you start interview for that special one to represent you. You may have already gathered attorneys from Fathers’ groups and attorneys from others friends and family. But what do you do if you still don’t have five? In other tips I encouraged you to take a day off and watch your judges in action.  During that time you should have observed some attorneys working.  Much like trying to hire the right person, you are going to do some pre-observation preparation. For this tip, I want you to dress in a suit, bring a book and a notepad, and sit at the court house.  Your goal is to get the names of two to five good attorneys.

While you are doing your observations, you are going to be asking yourself: “Could I get along with this attorney? Does this attorney communicate effectively with his client? Does this attorney appear to handle cases similar to mine?  Do I like the demeanor and attitudes of this attorney? Would I be willing to listen to this attorney?”

Spend the first hour in the court room hallway, second and third hours in the actual court room, and finally an hour by the attorney/client conference meeting area.

Find Good Attorneys by Listening in the Hall

Start in the morning with the hallway outside the court room.  You will witness clients and attorneys looking for each other.    Watch carefully the interactions attorneys have with their clients, other attorneys and maybe even judges.  Do they seem cordial to their clients?  Are they talking and meeting with other attorneys?  Do they seem well known and comfortable in this courthouse?  Are they discussing and directing clients and witnesses?  Do other people seem to know the attorney?

Find Good Attorneys by Listening in the Courtroom

In the court room, you are watching potential attorneys conducting their case.  Do they seem to know what they are doing? Are they respectful to the judge and other attorneys? Are most of their objections “sustained” (ruled in their favor) or “overruled” (not ruled in their favor). Are they organized? Do they have several clients or just one?  Do they work alone or do they have an assistant?

Find Good Attorneys in the Meeting Rooms

Somewhere in the building, attorneys meet with their clients to discuss settlement offerings, debriefing on rulings, and general somewhat private conversation.  Find this meeting place and sit and observe.  How well does the attorney appear to be communicating information to their clients?  Does council appear to be taking appropriate time to have client meetings?  Is the attorney explaining things clearly?  Does the lawyer appear to be listening as well?  Does the attorney offer several options to the client?  Is the representative making recommendations on what to do next?

During this process you are going to find lawyers you like and those you do not.  Once you have found a potential candidate, go introduce yourself and ask for a business card.  Most attorneys will be very flattered that you have taken the time to seek representation this way.  Keep in mind you may be interrupting them while they attend to another client, so tell them you will call to setup a follow-up appointment.

Overall this may seem like a lot of unnecessary work.  Nevertheless you will probably spend a great deal of time and money with this person.  Ultimately, you are looking for an attorney that is local, well known in your court, and can do the work you desire.  In future tips, we’ll talk about the specific questions you need to ask before hiring, but today you’re just adding to your list of potentials.

What are other suggestions for finding good attorneys? What would you add?

Comments

8 Comments

  1. Daddy Files

    Not that I’m in the market for a divorce lawyer, but this is excellent advice. The nature of my job calls for me to spend many, many hours in district court where I watch countless custody battles and other proceedings. And in watching the various lawyers at work, it is crystal clear who I’d want representing me if need be. Also, it’s easy to see who’s got the best relationships with the judge as well. And that makes a HUGE difference.

    Great advice.

    Reply
    • FullCustodyDad

      Thanks Daddy Files! I appreciate your feedback.

      Reply
  2. Phil

    Mr. Campos
    There is great advice here I wish I had years ago. I would like to link to this website for my readers. I have a website that deals with family adverstiy. Several articles are written about “Visitation” http://www.bit.ly/Vizit and “Child Support” http://www.bit.ly/c_support.if you would like to read them. Is your page available for a link to my site. “www.lifebyphil.com”? I would be very honored. Phone number is 208-625-0577. Thanks Phil

    Reply
    • FullCustodyDad

      Phil,

      No problem. In fact our blog and website are getting a face lift this week. We’ll have a links page and will be more than happy to add you. Helping families and dads is what we do too!

      Reply
  3. DadsDivorce.com

    Hey Fred,

    Wanted to get back in touch you regarding a possible interview with DadsDivorce.com about your upcoming book and blog you’ve put together. Like I said a few months ago the interview would take no more than 20 minutes and we would then post it as an article, online video, and podcast that would be available on
    our site as well as iTunes. Our site reaches 50,000 divorced men and their loved ones a month and I’m sure our community would find your book interesting and informative.

    Please let me know if you’re still interested and if we can set something up.

    Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.

    Matt Allen
    Editor, DadsDivorce.com

    Reply
  4. Divorce Lawyer Virginia Beach

    Most aren’t that lucky, have to settle for nasty messy custody wars and for that you require the help of a top notch attorney.

    Providing all the information related to your personal and financial matters to your lawyer is important. An experienced and knowledgeable divorce attorney can help you to explore options for refinancing debt or paying off debts through the sale of property to ensure that you are both protected.

    Reply
  5. ivory howard

    I didn’t have any expectations concerning that title, but the more I was astonished. The author did a great job. I spent a few minutes reading and checking the facts. Everything is very clear and understandable. I like posts that fill in your knowledge gaps. This one is of the sort.

    Reply

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