In case you didn’t know, family lawyers are one of the most important groups of professionals in society. They help facilitate the legal dissolution of a failed marriage so that both parties can move on without further dispute, and most importantly, give any children they have the best future possible for them.
The issues that result from the failure of a marriage can be some of the most difficult to answer since both sides will often try to get away with as much as they can. The romantic nature of these issues (and problems like infidelity) can make these proceedings incredibly spiteful and, as a result, a calm and authoritative professional is normally required.
However, there are many different Sydney top-rated lawyers near me with plenty of different skill sets. It’s important to know what the most important skills are in this field so I can make sure I hire someone right for me.
The following will examine the main skills of family lawyers.
Negotiation
The most important skill, arguably, that a family lawyer has is the ability to negotiate. They will be put in a position where they need to interact with the other party (usually an opposing solicitor) to try and arrange the best way forward to cease the dispute and establish a path forward.
They need to be able to see past the hostility that the exes have for one another and find a way to make sure their client is able to get a good result. They will need to face the opposition of their counterpart on the other side and demonstrate their expertise in countering this so that the best possible compromise is reached to end the dispute and put it to bed for good.
Organisation
Family lawyers also need to be organised in order to get the best result for their clients and would not be taken seriously if they suffered from any kind of disorganisation issue. Clients hire these kinds of professionals to work on their behalf and organise things so that they don’t have to.
If regular people had the organisation skills of family lawyers, they probably wouldn’t bother hiring them. These professionals need to be on their A-game at all times as any interpretation of laziness or failure to be organised will prompt clients to bargain for a lower price or take their business elsewhere.
Therefore, family lawyers cannot afford to be disorganised and must always on-time to meetings and answer phone calls/return them as appropriate. Clients who feel like their solicitor is not doing a good job for them will question the high price they are paying for legal representation.
Courtroom Presence
Sometimes, the unfortunate circumstance of going to court becomes a necessity in many divorce cases. While disputing exes are encouraged at every stage to take the cheaper and more equitable approach of out-of-court negotiation and mediation (and most do), there will be some for whom there is no other choice other than litigation.
In these cases, family lawyers that are engaged need to be prepared to go to court and represent the interests of their client. There are many working components to court proceedings, and it is arguably an art form unto itself where preparation is just as important as rhetorical ability.
As is clear to see, there are a lot of very important skills that family lawyers need to be able to succeed in their profession. Hopefully, this article has enlightened you somewhat as to how involved this profession is and will better equip you when it comes to hiring one of these experts for yourself.