Choosing an Attorney
There are many law offices that provide quality services in the West Plains area. Frankly, some do not. You need to figure out who you want to hire, who is sufficiently skilled, and who you will be able to work with closely and trust to obtain the best result. Beware the lawyer who promises he will win. No truthful lawyer will tell you that - he is only telling you what you want to hear. Beware the attorney who says he has "never lost a case". (Dr. Brad Bradshaw having never lost a worker's compensation case is an exception, but I've never lost one, either) In a divorce, there are no outright, 100% winners, whether it be with child custody or property division. And no divorce attorney (except a lying dirtbag) would tell you otherwise. Listen to who tells you things you may not want to hear. When you speak to me, I will always tell you the good, bad and (sometimes) ugly of your situation.
FEES
You will find a wide array of fee quotes when consulting with lawyers. I have seen people pay $3,500 or more for an uncontested divorce from a well known local attorney that would have cost less than half with another attorney for the same or better results. A high fee does not necessarily mean better representation. You wouldn't pay $100 for a white t-shirt if the brand was Ralph Lauren if the identical t-shirt was $20 without the name. Many attorneys will take advantage of your ignorance and charge you an outrageous amount of money for simple legal work (if they do it at all- many rely on office staff for most of the paperwork). I prepare all important paperwork myself - it takes a little longer, but you also know your child custody papers weren't prepared by somebody who was just fired from Burger King.
Talk to our office - I base my fee on the difficulty of the work involved, not whether you dress nicely or drive a nice car. Do not misunderstand. Legal representation can be a significant expenditure. I just don't want you to pay more than the value of the services you are receiving.
Time and time again, people come to my office having already spent thousands of dollars with another attorney but nothing has been accomplished. Your lawyer has an ethical duty to account for where your money has gone. If you paid an attorney $5,000 and she wants to bill you more, tell her to give you an itemized billing statement! You are entitled to see where your money has been spent. If you don't get a bill or can't get a refund of unearned funds, you've been ripped off.
The choice of an attorney is important and should not be based solely on advertisement.