How to choose a divorce lawyer in MD?  If I have 5-10 referrals for
possible lawyers, and they all charge an initial consultation fee of
an hour or two of fees, then how to choose?  I am trying to sort out
whether I should just meet with one, or invest in a few (how many?)
initial consultations.  The only specific thing about my situation is
that I am a small business owner with business valued over $1 million.

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Request for Question Clarification by darrel-ga on 06 Feb 2004 19:13 PST

Have you asked for contact information of some of their past clients?
If you can get this information from each, you can ask these clients
any questions you want about their attorneys to help narrow your
decision.
darrel-ga

Hello Knowledge--

I have carefully researched your question and have your answer.

I am in the business of helping consumers with this exact issue, so
they can make sure they get the best service - in this case, attorney
- for their money.

It sounds as though you've carefully weighed the initial
characteristics of these attorneys that meet your needs, and that they
all meet your needs equally.

I conducted some research on how to determine which attorney to choose
that's best for you.

First, you should investigate these firms these firms to make sure
they're reputable. You may do this by visiting researching them
through the Better Business Bureaus in Maryland: http://www.bbb.org

Next, you should make sure these attorneys are licensed with the State
Bar of Maryland. In fact, you may even search for members. You may
find more information about this online. The link is
http://www.msba.org/index.htm

Assuming each of your choices are qualified, you will want to ask each
for references of clients who had successful cases. Be specific in
this regard. Since you own a business, ask these attorneys for the
names and phone numbers of past clients whom they not only represented
in matters of divorce but whom they represented in matters of divorce
when a business of your size was at stake. This business needs to be
protected, and you have the best chance of success in your suit, if
you find an attorney with experience and a successful track record in
this regard.

Ask for as many references as you can get out of these potential
attorneys of yours and contact the references. Ask as many questions
as you can. Take a day to do this, because this is an important step.
You want to find an attorney that specifically meets your individual
needs, and it's important you feel comfortable with him or her
representing you and that you're confident he or she will do a good
job.

Then once you narrow your list down to only a few attorney candidates,
ask to see the contracts they'd have you sign. Have them fax you the
contracts. Read each carefully and make sure you understand everything
contained within them. Compare apples-to-apples on the contracts. If
you don't like something you see in one or more of the contracts, ask
the attorney if it can be changed or worded differently. Remember: you
want an attorney who will work with you and with whom you feel the
most comfortable. You don't have to agree to a contract with which you
don't feel comfortable.

By the time you've read over the contracts, you'd likely had a couple
conversations with the attorneys at which you're looking most
seriously and the attorney that you know you should hire will become
quite obvious to you.

If you'd like more information on how to choose an attorney, please
refer to the following web sites:

"How To Choose A Divorce Attorney"
http://www.wife.org/columnists/lowenstein/lowenstein.001.htm

Financial Planning: Divorce and Attorneys
http://financialplan.about.com/cs/divorceandmoney/index_2.htm

You may find other relevant and good information within a Google
Search I conducted. The link to the results of my search is
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22how+to+choose+an+attorney%22

If you need any other information or any clarification, please don't
hesitate to click the "clarify" button.

Thanks,

darrel-ga

Dear knowledge007,

There is, unfortunately, no comprehesive, scientific method of
choosing between lawyers. You can seek references from past clients,
as darrel-ga suggests, but lawyers will typically be reluctant to
identify past clients. (It's one thing for a law firm to identify a
corporation as a client; it's another to identify an individual). You
can seek referrals from other lawyers, if you know any lawyers. If you
know any people who have been divorced, you can ask them about their
lawyers. You can check membership in certain professional
organizations, such as the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers,
http://www.aaml.org/

Sometimes the other spouse's attorney becomes relevant to who you
might want to select for a case. For example, if the other spouse's
attorney is known for being a difficult opponent, bringing lots of
motions and forcing cases to trial, you would need to select an
attorney who is ready to respond to that, and probably not a lawyer
who will be trying to channel the case into a mediative, conciliatory
mode.