how to not get screwed over by your lawyer

^{To summarize, if you follow these tips, you have at least a fighting chance of not getting screwed by your own divorce lawyer:}

• hire the right lawyer;
• negotiate the attorney fee to a flat charge;
• do not give collateral;
• do not give away separate property;
• get the temporary hearing and Discovery Control Plan ordered by the Court early;
• do not suggest or argue to limit communications with your spouse;
• do not suggest or argue for alcohol monitoring;
• get your attorney to set your mediation quickly and do not accept any excuse for delay; and
• do not allow your lawyer to delay the post-mediation final hearing.

Full Answer

How to get divorced from a lawyer?

To summarize, if you follow these tips, you have at least a fighting chance of not getting screwed by your own divorce lawyer: 1 hire the right lawyer; 2 negotiate the attorney fee to a flat charge; 3 do not give collateral; 4 do not give away separate property; 5 get the temporary hearing and Discovery Control Plan ordered by the Court early; 6 do not suggest or argue to limit communications with your spouse; 7 do not suggest or argue for alcohol monitoring; 8 get your attorney to set your mediation quickly and do not accept any excuse for delay; and 9 do not allow your lawyer to delay the post-mediation final hearing.

What do family lawyers ask for?

“Family” lawyers are notorious for asking their clients to essentially steal from the “community estate” and turn the property over to them to their secure fees. If your lawyer asks you to do this, RUN! Their favorite collateral requests are: vehicles; wedding rings; real estate; antiques; certificates of deposit; boats; and RV’s. Most family lawyers who request collateral will stop at nothing until you are penniless and without assets. It’s just their nature.

How many civil cases can be settled at mediation?

99% of civil cases can be settled at mediation, including divorce cases. When you hire your “family” lawyer, require a commitment that he/she will press for early mediation. A greedy “family” lawyer will resist resolving your case until the last possible moment. Why? If your case settles quickly, there is no more CHA CHING! Your lawyer may try to convince you that mediation only happens near the end of litigation. Bullshit! If your prospective lawyer gives you that line, RUN.

Do family lawyers have a sober link?

“Family” lawyers have always resorted to dastardly tactics like falsely alleging sexual abuse or domestic violence, and still do. Lately they have added the new gimmick of alleging “alcohol abuse” and routinely petition the Court to mandate 24/7 monitoring with a system called Sober Link. This program requires the participant to give a breath sample every 4 hours. The results, sometimes accurate and sometimes not, are emailed to all attorneys, all participants and the Judge.

How to stop giving away power in divorce?

So, how do you stop giving away your power in the heat of divorce? First, work on raising your self-esteem in a therapeutic process with a really good therapist or divorce coach. You need to feel worthy of a fair and equitable divorce settlement. You also need to work on tolerating the discomfort of the divorce process to get to that better outcome, because so many parties (especially women) want to be divorced yesterday and will often give in simply to be done.

What does it mean when a case goes well or poor?

Whether a case goes “well” or “poorly” often reflects two things…. Whether a case goes “well” or “poorly” often reflects two things. First, the energy of the marriage frequently shows up as the energy of the divorce. So, if you felt screwed over by your spouse in your marriage (or if you screwed over your spouse in the marriage), ...

Is divorce a good settlement?

The pain of divorce makes it easy to lash out and blame others. But, this won’t get you what you really want, which is a divorce settlement that is acceptable to you. Since most divorces are finalized through negotiation, you can increase your chances of getting a better settlement by working on bolstering your self-esteem (so you feel worthy of, and demand, a better settlement), and by being willing to hold firm on the issues that matter most to you.