Hiring a family law attorney is one of the most important decisions you'll make during your divorce or family law case. The right attorney can protect your interests, guide you through complex legal processes, and help you achieve the best possible outcome. The wrong attorney can cost you time, money, and potentially compromise your case.

With 22 years of family law experience, Attorney Tatiana Gidirimsky has seen firsthand what makes the difference between an adequate attorney and an exceptional one. Here are five essential tips to help you hire a great family law attorney who will serve your needs effectively.

Tip 1: Don't Hire the First Attorney You Meet – Interview Multiple Candidates

One of the biggest mistakes people make when hiring a family law attorney is choosing the first one they consult with. This decision is too important to rush, and you need to compare your options before committing.

Why Shopping Around Matters

Just as you wouldn't buy the first house you tour or hire the first contractor you meet, you shouldn't retain the first attorney you interview. Each attorney has different:

Experience levels and areas of expertise
Communication styles and availability
Fee structures and billing practices
Approaches to case strategy
Personalities and working styles

Meeting with multiple attorneys allows you to understand what's available, what different approaches might look like, and what feels right for your situation.

Start with Personal Referrals

The best place to begin your search is by asking people you trust for recommendations:

Friends and Family: If someone you know has been through a divorce, ask about their experience with their attorney. What did they like? What would they do differently? Would they hire that attorney again?

Colleagues and Professional Contacts: Professionals in your network may have connections to excellent family law attorneys or may have gone through divorces themselves.

Other Attorneys: If you know any attorneys (even if they practice different types of law), ask them for referrals. Attorneys often know which family law practitioners have the best reputations.

Therapists or Financial Advisors: Professionals who work with divorcing clients regularly often have insights into which attorneys are effective and ethical.

Why Word of Mouth is Valuable

Personal referrals carry weight because they come from people who have actually worked with the attorney. They've experienced the attorney's responsiveness, competence, and effectiveness firsthand. Reputation matters enormously in the legal field, and attorneys who consistently do excellent work develop strong reputations within their communities.

Using Online Resources

If personal referrals aren't available or you want to expand your search, online resources can be helpful:

Avvo.com: This legal directory allows you to review attorney credentials, experience, ratings, and client reviews. Look for attorneys with strong ratings and positive feedback from former clients.

State Bar Websites: Check whether attorneys are in good standing and whether they've faced any disciplinary actions.

Law Firm Websites: Review attorneys' biographies, experience, case results, and practice focus areas.

Google Reviews: See what former clients say about their experiences.

The Magic Number: Interview 3-5 Attorneys

Plan to meet with at least three to five attorneys before making your decision. This gives you enough data points to compare while not overwhelming yourself with too many options.

Most family law attorneys offer initial consultations (some free, some for a modest fee). Use these consultations to:

Explain your situation
Ask questions about their experience and approach
Get a sense of their personality and communication style
Understand their fee structure
Evaluate whether you feel comfortable with them

Questions to Ask During Consultations

Come prepared with questions like:

How long have you been practicing family law?
What percentage of your practice is family law?
Have you handled cases similar to mine?
What is your approach to cases like this?
Do you try to settle or are you willing to go to trial if necessary?
Who else would work on my case?
What are your fees and billing practices?
How do you communicate with clients?
What is your typical response time?

Tip 2: Hire an Experienced Attorney (At Least 10 Years of Practice)

When it comes to family law, experience isn't just valuable—it's essential. While newer attorneys may charge lower rates, this is one area where you truly get what you pay for.

The 10-Year Benchmark

Attorney Gidirimsky recommends hiring an attorney with at least 10 years of experience handling family law cases. Why this specific timeframe?

Ten years is sufficient time for an attorney to:

Handle a wide variety of family law cases and scenarios
Develop deep knowledge of statutes, case law, and legal precedents
Learn the nuances and unwritten rules of local courts
Build relationships with judges, court staff, and other attorneys
Refine their negotiation and litigation skills
Encounter and solve complex problems
Develop sound judgment about case strategy

Why Law School Isn't Enough

Here's something most people don't realize: law school doesn't teach attorneys how to practice law. Law school teaches legal theory, analysis, and research. It doesn't teach you how to:

Negotiate a favorable settlement
Cross-examine a witness effectively
Navigate local court procedures and unwritten rules
Manage client expectations and emotions
Develop winning trial strategies
Handle the practical, day-to-day aspects of cases

These skills come only through years of actual practice. An attorney fresh out of law school—or even one with just a few years of experience—simply hasn't had enough time to develop these crucial competencies.

The Risks of Inexperience

Hiring an inexperienced attorney can result in costly mistakes:

Missing Key Statutes or Case Law: Family law involves complex statutes and constantly evolving case precedents. Inexperienced attorneys may not be aware of recent developments or may misapply the law to your situation.

Unfamiliarity with Local Rules: Every county and court has local rules and procedures. Not knowing these can result in procedural errors, rejected filings, or continued hearings.

Poor Strategic Decisions: Experience teaches attorneys which battles are worth fighting and which aren't, when to push hard in negotiations and when to compromise, and how to position cases for the best outcomes.

Lack of Courtroom Confidence: Nervous or uncertain attorneys don't inspire confidence in judges or opposing counsel, potentially weakening your position.

The False Economy of Lower Rates

Yes, less experienced attorneys typically charge lower hourly rates. On the surface, this seems like a way to save money. But consider:

An experienced attorney might accomplish in 2 hours what takes an inexperienced attorney 5 hours
Mistakes made by inexperienced attorneys can be extremely costly to fix
Poor negotiation or trial performance can result in unfavorable outcomes that affect you for years
The stress of working with someone who doesn't know what they're doing is significant

The small savings on hourly rates are simply not worth the risks.

The Benefits of Established Attorneys

Experienced attorneys bring advantages beyond just legal knowledge:

Reputation and Relationships: Established attorneys are known to judges and opposing counsel in their jurisdiction. Judges trust their representations, and opposing attorneys know they're dealing with a formidable opponent. This often leads to smoother proceedings and better negotiation outcomes.

Credibility: When an experienced attorney tells the court something, it carries weight. When they say they're prepared to go to trial, opposing counsel believes it.

Efficiency: Experience brings efficiency. Seasoned attorneys know how to handle issues quickly and effectively, saving you time and money despite higher hourly rates.

Less Stress for You: Working with a confident, experienced attorney who clearly knows what they're doing reduces your stress significantly. You can trust their judgment and focus on your own healing rather than constantly worrying about your case.

Tip 3: Choose an Attorney Who Specializes in Family Law

Not all attorneys are created equal, and not all practice areas require the same expertise. Family law is a specialized field, and you need a specialist handling your case.

The Problem with Generalists

Some attorneys call themselves "generalists"—they handle a little bit of everything. They might do divorces, but also personal injury cases, estate planning, criminal defense, business law, and whatever else walks through the door.

This is a red flag for family law cases.

Why Specialization Matters

Family law is complex and constantly evolving. To practice it effectively, attorneys need to:

Stay Current with Changing Laws: Statutes change, new case law is issued regularly, and court interpretations evolve. Attorneys who focus on family law can stay on top of these developments. Those who spread themselves across multiple practice areas cannot.

Develop Deep Expertise: Mastering family law requires understanding not just the black-letter law, but also:

Child support calculation intricacies
Property division principles and strategies
Tax implications of different settlement structures
Custody evaluation processes
Domestic violence protections and restraining orders
Pension and retirement account division
Business valuation in divorce cases

Understand Local Court Culture: Different courts and judges have different preferences, procedures, and expectations. Family law specialists who regularly appear in local family courts understand these nuances.

Build a Network of Professionals: Effective family law practice often requires working with child custody evaluators, forensic accountants, business valuators, real estate appraisers, and mental health professionals. Specialists have established relationships with quality professionals in these fields.

The Surgery Analogy

Attorney Gidirimsky makes an excellent point: hiring an attorney who handles traffic tickets to manage your divorce is like hiring a dentist to perform open heart surgery.

Both are doctors, but they have completely different training and expertise. Similarly, all attorneys have law degrees, but their areas of knowledge and practice vary dramatically.

Would you want a general practitioner performing your complex surgery? Or would you seek out a surgeon who specializes in exactly the procedure you need?

Your divorce or family law matter deserves the same level of specialized expertise.

How to Verify an Attorney's Focus

During your consultation, ask:

What percentage of your practice is devoted to family law?
Do you handle other types of cases?
How many family law cases have you handled?
Are you a member of any family law professional organizations?

Look for attorneys where family law represents at least 75-90% of their practice—preferably closer to 100%.

Tip 4: Ensure Your Attorney Has Trial Experience

Most divorce and family law cases settle without going to trial. However, having an attorney with significant trial experience is crucial even if you hope to settle.

Why Trial Experience Matters Even If You Settle

This might seem counterintuitive, but here's the reality: the best settlements often come from attorneys who are fully prepared and willing to go to trial.

Negotiating from Strength

When opposing counsel knows your attorney has trial experience and is prepared to use it, they take negotiations more seriously. An attorney with a strong trial reputation creates leverage because:

The other side knows you have a credible threat of trial
They understand your attorney won't fold under pressure
They recognize that going to trial against an experienced litigator is risky
This often leads to better settlement offers

Conversely, if your attorney has never tried a case or clearly wants to avoid trial at all costs, opposing counsel can exploit this weakness to extract unfavorable concessions.

What If Settlement Fails?

While most cases settle, some don't. If your case is among the minority that goes to trial, you absolutely need an attorney who:

Knows the Judges: Experienced trial attorneys are familiar with local judges' tendencies, preferences, and pet peeves. This knowledge helps them present cases effectively.

Understands Court Procedures: Trial involves complex procedural rules about evidence, witness examination, objections, and courtroom protocol. Inexperienced attorneys can make critical procedural errors.

Is Comfortable in the Courtroom: Trial advocacy is a skill developed over time. Confident, comfortable attorneys are more persuasive and effective than nervous, uncertain ones.

Can Think on Their Feet: Trials are dynamic—unexpected things happen, and attorneys must adapt quickly. This ability comes only with experience.

Won't Panic Under Pressure: Trials are high-stakes and stressful. You need an attorney who stays calm, focused, and strategic even when things don't go according to plan.

Questions About Trial Experience

During consultations, ask:

How many trials have you conducted?
When was your most recent trial?
What types of issues have you tried?
What is your approach to trial preparation?
Can you provide examples of trial outcomes?

Be wary of attorneys who have little or no trial experience, or whose last trial was many years ago.

The Bottom Line

You hire an attorney hoping you won't need to go to trial, but you need to know they can and will if necessary. Trial experience provides both the actual capability to litigate effectively and the credibility that leads to better settlements.

Tip 5: Hire Someone You're Comfortable With

This final tip might be the most important of all. You can find an attorney who checks all the boxes for experience, specialization, and trial skills, but if you don't feel comfortable with them, the relationship won't work.

Why Personal Comfort Matters

Depending on your case's complexity and level of conflict, you may:

Communicate with your attorney frequently (sometimes daily)
Share deeply personal and potentially embarrassing information
Spend significant time together in meetings, hearings, and potentially trial
Rely on them for guidance during one of the most stressful periods of your life
Need to trust them with decisions that affect your children, finances, and future

This isn't a purely transactional relationship. It's a professional partnership that requires trust, communication, and mutual respect.

What to Look For

Confidence and Experience: Your attorney should project competence and confidence. You want someone who has clearly handled cases like yours before and knows what they're doing.

But Also Humility: Beware of attorneys who are arrogant or who guarantee specific outcomes. Family law involves uncertainties, and ethical attorneys acknowledge this while still projecting confidence in their abilities.

Good Listening Skills: Does the attorney listen to you carefully and ask thoughtful questions? Or do they interrupt, dismiss your concerns, or seem distracted? You need an attorney who values your input and understands your priorities.

Clear Communication: Does the attorney explain things in ways you can understand? Do they avoid unnecessary legal jargon? Are they patient with your questions? Clear communication is essential.

Responsiveness: How quickly does the attorney respond to your calls or emails? While no attorney can be instantly available at all times, reasonable responsiveness is important.

Good Chemistry: This is subjective, but real. Do you feel a connection with this person? Do you feel comfortable being yourself around them? Trust your gut.

The Teamwork Approach

Attorney Gidirimsky emphasizes an important principle: your relationship with your attorney should be about teamwork and collaboration, not dictatorship by either party.

This means:

Your Attorney Should Not Dictate: You're hiring an expert advisor, not a dictator. Your attorney should provide recommendations and explain the reasons behind them, but you make the final decisions about your case. It's your life, your children, your property—you're the client, and you're in charge.

But You Shouldn't Dictate Either: While you make the ultimate decisions, you should listen carefully to your attorney's advice. You're paying for their expertise and judgment. If you find yourself constantly rejecting their recommendations, either you've hired the wrong attorney or you're not being reasonable about your case.

Collaboration is Key: The best attorney-client relationships involve mutual respect, open communication, honest feedback, and shared decision-making.

You Should Feel Comfortable Challenging Your Attorney

This is crucial: you should feel comfortable questioning your attorney's recommendations and even respectfully challenging them when you disagree.

If your attorney becomes defensive, dismissive, or angry when you ask questions or express concerns, that's a problem. A good attorney welcomes questions because they want to ensure you understand your case and feel confident in the strategy.

Red Flags to Watch For

During consultations, be alert for warning signs:

Guaranteeing outcomes: No ethical attorney can guarantee specific results
Badmouthing other attorneys excessively: Some criticism of opposing counsel is normal, but excessive negativity is unprofessional
Being dismissive of your concerns: Your feelings and priorities matter
Seeming distracted or disinterested: You deserve an attorney's full attention
Pressure to sign immediately: You should have time to think about your decision
Unclear fee structures: Billing should be transparent and explained clearly
Lack of empathy: While attorneys need professional boundaries, they should also show compassion for what you're going through

Trust Your Instincts

After meeting with several attorneys, one will likely feel right. Maybe you can't articulate exactly why, but you feel confident in this person's abilities and comfortable with their approach.

Trust that instinct. The attorney-client relationship is too important to enter into with someone who doesn't feel like the right fit.

Bringing It All Together: Your Attorney Selection Checklist

When evaluating potential family law attorneys, use this checklist:

✓ Interview multiple attorneys (3-5) before deciding

✓ Check experience level (look for at least 10 years)

✓ Verify family law specialization (75-100% of practice)

✓ Confirm trial experience (recent and substantial)

✓ Assess personal comfort level (good chemistry and communication)

✓ Review credentials and ratings (check Avvo, bar association, reviews)

✓ Understand fee structure (get clear information about rates and billing)

✓ Check references (ask for client references if possible)

✓ Evaluate responsiveness (how quickly do they return calls/emails?)

✓ Trust your instincts (does this feel like the right fit?)

The Investment in Quality Representation

Hiring an excellent family law attorney requires time, effort, and often significant financial investment. But this is one of the most important decisions you'll make during your divorce or family law case.

The right attorney will:

Protect your legal rights and financial interests
Help you navigate complex legal procedures
Provide objective guidance when emotions run high
Advocate effectively on your behalf
Work toward the best possible outcome for your situation
Reduce stress by handling legal matters competently

The wrong attorney—or no attorney at all—can result in:

Unfavorable settlements or court orders
Procedural mistakes that harm your case
Missed opportunities to protect your interests
Increased stress and anxiety
Long-term financial consequences
Damaged relationships with your children

Common Questions About Hiring Family Law Attorneys

How Much Do Family Law Attorneys Cost?

Attorney fees vary based on experience, reputation, geographic location, and case complexity. Expect to pay:

Initial retainer: $5,000 - $15,000 or more
Hourly rates: $250 - $500+ per hour

Remember: higher rates often reflect greater experience and efficiency, potentially saving money in the long run.

Can I Change Attorneys If I'm Not Happy?

Yes, you have the right to change attorneys at any time. However, this can be disruptive and expensive, so it's better to choose carefully from the start. If you do need to change attorneys, your new attorney will need time to get up to speed on your case.

What If I Can't Afford an Attorney?

If you truly cannot afford an attorney:

Some attorneys offer payment plans
Limited scope representation (unbundling) allows you to hire an attorney for specific tasks rather than full representation
Legal aid organizations may provide free or low-cost services if you qualify based on income
Bar association lawyer referral services can connect you with attorneys

Should I Hire the Most Expensive Attorney?

Not necessarily. The most expensive attorney isn't always the best fit for your case. Focus on finding an attorney who meets all five criteria discussed in this article and who you feel comfortable with, rather than simply choosing based on price (either highest or lowest).

Moving Forward with Confidence

Hiring a family law attorney is a significant decision, but by following these five tips, you can approach the process strategically and find an attorney who will serve you well.

Remember:

Interview multiple candidates
Prioritize experience (10+ years)
Choose a family law specialist
Verify trial experience
Trust your comfort level

The right attorney makes an enormous difference in both the process and outcome of your case. Take the time to find someone who meets these criteria, and you'll have a trusted advisor and advocate during one of life's most challenging transitions.

Ready to Find Your Family Law Attorney?

At Bucklin Evans Law Firm, our experienced family law team is committed to providing the highest quality legal representation with compassion and expertise. With decades of combined experience practicing exclusively in family law, we understand what it takes to achieve favorable outcomes for our clients.

We invite you to schedule a consultation to discuss your situation and learn how we can help. During your consultation, you can ask questions, learn about our approach, and determine whether we're the right fit for your needs.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state, and every divorce case is unique. Consult with a qualified family law attorney in your jurisdiction for advice specific to your situation.