Going through a divorce is emotionally challenging and legally complex. As you might already know, there are many different layers of divorce. Choosing a divorce attorney is a critical decision that can significantly impact the outcome of your divorce. When seeking a divorce attorney, there are several key qualities to look for to ensure you have the best possible representation.

1. Strong Communication Skills

Divorce is an emotional time for everyone involved. There's a lot of stress involved in divorce. A good quality to look for in an attorney is strong communication skills to help you navigate the process as smoothly as possible. An attorney who's responsive to your questions is key to helping keep stress in check during the process.

Anticipation and worry about the status of the case can be overwhelming if your attorney isn't communicating information properly. If you have an attorney who prioritizes client communication, you'll know what to expect. It's also important that a divorce attorney is transparent and keeps you informed about changes in the case without sugarcoating.

2. Compassion and Empathy

A good quality for any attorney is compassion and empathy for their clients. That said, it's even more important that divorce attorneys empathize with their clients. Divorce is life-changing and full of uncertainty. A good lawyer understands that you may not be at your best during the process. They are patient with you and understand your concerns.

Empathy and compassion are key to providing clients full support while navigating divorce. An attorney should respect your feelings and not try to make you feel bad about asking questions or expressing your opinion. You should feel confident that you can speak to your attorney about anything without being judged.

3. Negotiation Skills

A good divorce attorney has honed their negotiation skills. They speak eloquently, stay on task, and advocate for their client's best interests. Well-developed negotiation skills strike a balance between assertiveness and diplomacy. They can negotiate for the outcome you're hoping for.

Divorce cases often have property distribution and child custody components. It's necessary that an attorney possesses negotiation skills to ensure your interests are protected during the process. The right attorney will use their skill set to move the case along and negotiate a better outcome for you.

4. Honesty and Integrity

A good divorce attorney is always honest with their clients, even when it's an answer that the client doesn't want to hear. They believe that honesty is always the best policy and don't avoid sharing key information to make meetings more palatable. A good attorney is open with their client about the status of the case, potential outcomes, and strategies. These attorneys side with their clients and don't make deals or enter into agreements without the client's approval. They always act with integrity.

5. Peer Respect

A good divorce attorney has a network of professional relationships in the legal field where they have curated respect. Because the attorney moves with integrity and honesty, other attorneys respect their knowledge and skills. In other words, if they're well-liked by their professional community, it's more likely that they have what it takes to represent you well.

6. Strategic Thinking

An attorney needs to be able to think on their feet and come up with solutions to complex situations. A necessary quality for an attorney to possess is the ability to think strategically and sometimes think outside the box to best serve their clients. They can assess your case for strengths and weaknesses and develop a strategy based on them. A reliable divorce attorney can anticipate potential problems and will have a plan to overcome them. They are experts at overcoming obstacles that can stall a divorce case. Strategic thinking allows an attorney to make well-informed decisions to maximize the client's odds of a favorable outcome.

You likely have more than one divorce attorney to choose from for representation in your divorce. In fact, according to IBISWorld, there are over 57,720 divorce and family law lawyers in the U.S. alone. Still, not every lawyer possesses the qualities you need in a divorce attorney. Look for the qualities listed here to choose your attorney to increase the odds you'll get the outcome you're hoping for. Call our team at Ed Frizzell Law to see how we can help with your divorce today.