Unfortunately, changing lawyers mid-divorce is, at times, a difficult task, and should only be done under certain circumstances.
If you talk to somebody who has been through a divorce, they will probably have a long list of complaints about the process. That could include a disagreeable spouse, the nature of the law, or any number of other common grievances. One frustration that they might mention is the poor quality of their legal provider. They may even say that they wish they’d switched lawyers before the divorce was finished. Unfortunately, changing lawyers mid-divorce is, at times, a difficult task, and should only be done under certain circumstances.
Realize the Potential Headache That Comes With It
After you find and hire a St. Louis divorce attorney, they will start to get familiar with your case. That will include talking to you extensively, looking through your financial documents, negotiating with your spouse’s legal team, and carrying out a multitude of other time-consuming functions. After all of that, they will be thoroughly entrenched in your case and, hopefully, be ready to fight for you effectively. If you decide that this lawyer is not right for you, that process must start over. You will need to hire a new provider and have them familiarize themselves with the entire case before you can proceed. Not only could this set you back weeks or months, but it may also be a complicated process to navigate.
Identify Exactly Why You’re Frustrated
The first thing you need to do before deciding whether or not you want to hire a new lawyer is to identify why you’re frustrated. The reason for doing so is that you might discover that your feelings are coming from factors that are outside of your lawyer’s control.
Cases Where You Might Want To Change Lawyers
Generally, you will want to consider changing lawyers if your frustrations are directly related to that legal provider. A few common culprits are them not returning your calls, not adhering to deadlines, being unpleasant towards you, or having a general lack of organization. Essentially, the cases in which you may want to move on are when your lawyer is rude or incompetent.
Read more: 4 Traits Your Divorce Attorney Should Have
Cases Where You Might Not
The other side of the coin is when your frustrations are not related to your lawyer. One example of this could be your spouse being extremely difficult to work with, and as a result, you not getting what you want in your case. This is an issue that isn’t necessarily based on the quality of your lawyer, so switching providers is likely unwise.
Read more: 5 Ways to Make Your Divorce Go as Smooth as Possible
Now that you understand what you need to consider before switching lawyers mid-divorce, you can make that decision with confidence. If you find that your frustrations are out of your attorney’s control, you likely want to stick with them. On the other hand, if they are the source of your issues, you should strongly consider finding a new St. Louis divorce lawyer. If that is the case, you should look back at your original hire and identify any areas where you may have made a mistake. If you do, you can avoid making it again when you hire your new attorney. The result of this careful process will be finding the best lawyer to represent you.