FIGURING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR DIVORCE CAN BE TRICKY
You don't know the legal system well enough to know whether your lawyer is doing a good job ... or not.
All you know is that you're stuck in the middle of your divorce and you're going nowhere fast. Meanwhile, even though you're not sure if your lawyer is DOING anything, you keep getting billed - for everything!
Maybe your lawyer has lost a few battles you thought s/he should have won. Maybe s/he seems to be a little too friendly with your spouse's lawyer.
Or maybe your lawyer isn't communicating well with you and you're not sure what's going on!
No matter the issue, the problem is that right now, you just want to get your divorce over with! You need to stop the bleeding. You need to see some progress. But you're not sure whether changing lawyers now is a good idea.
Changing lawyers costs money. It can also make your divorce take even longer than it's already taking. (PLUS, what if you change lawyers and just end up with someone else who's just as bad ... or WORSE?!!)
What You Need is a Second Opinion from an Unbiased Source
I’ve been an Illinois divorce lawyer for more decades than I care to admit. I know all too well how the divorce system works.
For the most part, it isn’t pretty.
I’ve watched people who once loved each other tear each other’s guts out in court.
I’ve seen judges struggle to try to decide what’s best for children whose parents care more about getting even with each other than about really making sure their kids are okay.
What's more, I’ve watched expensive, high-powered divorce lawyers spend hours arguing over who gets a $100 vacuum cleaner.
Sometimes the divorce lawyers are a big part of the problem.
Other times, they’re not.
As a regular person who’s going through a divorce, it’s often hard to know the difference.
A Legal Consultant Can Make All the Difference
A legal consultant is a lawyer who talks to you, reviews your situation, and then gives you a second opinion about what to do. That second opinion can be about what's going on in your case, and what your options are. Or it can be about whether it may be time to look for a new lawyer.
The truth is, ANY divorce lawyer can give you a second opinion about your divorce case.
The challenge is, most of those lawyers are biased.
They want to get your business.
They want to represent you.
That's not to say that they won't give you good advice. But when you know they would make more money if THEY took over your divorce case, you can't help but wonder whether they're being honest if they tell you that your current lawyer isn't doing a good job.
USING LEGAL CONSULTANTS ISN'T NEW
The uber rich have "family lawyers" - trusted advisers they can consult with whenever they need legal advice or have a legal problem.
Super high net worth families and large corporations keep lawyers on retainer. Whenever the family or the company has any kind of legal problem, they consult with their own lawyer first. That lawyer assesses the problem, advises the client about what to do in the short term, and makes sure the client gets the right legal representation in the long term.
Using a lawyer that way makes an incredible amount of sense.
You get the benefit of high-quality, impartial legal advice. You discover what you need to do to protect yourself in the short term. And you get a solid foundation of information that enables you to more confidently choose a lawyer to represnet you in your case for the long-term.
The challenge is, unless you're uber rich, you probably don't have the money to keep a legal consultant on retainer at all times.
The Benefits of Hiring an Independent Legal Consultant
As an independent legal consultant I can help you analyze your situation and understand your options. I can help you determine whether changing divorce lawyers makes sense for you or not. We'll talk about the costs involved in making that change, as well as the benefits you'll see if you do (or don't!) change lawyers.
If you're having trouble communicating with your lawyer, I can help you develop a strategy for communicating with them more effectively. I know how lawyers operate, and how they think. Once you understand that too you may be able to keep the lawyer you have and get a better result in your case as well.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of getting an independent consultation is that you know EXACTLY what you're getting.
I'll review your situation. I'll tell you what I think*, and what your options are. And then you can choose what to do from there.
I'm not going to ask you to give me a big retainer or write me an open-ended check. You will know EXACTLY how much the consultation costs, BEFORE we talk. Once we're done talking, the consultation is over and your charges end.
*Please note:
- I can NOT give you legal advice outside the state of Illinois. I can not tell you what the law is in any state other than Illinois, or how that law may apply to you.
- I am no longer representing divorce clients as a lawyer. I will ONLY act as a consultant. I will NOT be your lawyer.
Interested?
If you're interested in hiring me for a consultation, just fill out the form and we'll talk!
Just so you know, I have a very small team and we all need to sleep sometime! I promise we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can. But it probably won’t happen instantly. Hang with me! We WILL get back to you!)