Canadian Family Law: Finding The Right Lawyer

There are a lot of reasons that you may need a lawyer specializing in family law: You could have nothing more than a simple dispute that needs to be settled, all the way from more serious issues such as helping to handle a divorce or receiving assistance in managing the dissolution of an estate.

Whatever your case may be, it’s invaluable to have a family lawyer that will not only be the best representative for you but also be a good fit for you or your family’s needs.

On the other hand, perhaps you have yet to start a family and are just looking to ensure that you are fortified against any future issues. Whatever the case may be, you want to know that you’ve done everything you can to ensure that you are free of any legal headaches going forward.

It’s so important for a family lawyer to fit together well with those he is working with as family law will often be involved in emotionally charged or upsetting situations. This makes getting the best family lawyer even more important because the lawyer will need to not only have a diverse breadth of knowledge about the subject at hand but be an understanding and patient individual with a wealth of people skills.

Where to Find One: Personal Reference

One of the best ways to be absolutely sure that you are getting a lawyer that will be suitable for you and your family is if you get one that comes highly recommended by a friend or a colleague. A recommendation like this will let you know that you are absolutely going to be in good hands with whoever you decide to hire.

This is an especially good idea if you are having a specific problem that needs to be resolved, as knowing that the lawyer has had experience with handling similar cases will inform you that he will be able to deal with your situation well.

Where to Find One: The Canadian Bar Association

First and foremost, if you do not know anybody who can reference a lawyer for you, the most obvious potential avenue for searching for a lawyer is to search using the Canadian Bar Association website. Using this site you will be able to search for a lawyer that specializes in Family Law.

Not only that, but you will also be able to search for them within a specific distance of a location of your choice, meaning you could potentially get access to a lawyer who is local.

Where to Find One: BestLawyers.com

The website BestLawyers.com offers you the ability to search for all lawyers with a specific specialization, similarly to the Canadian Bar Association, in an area near you. The difference with this page is that the lawyers who are recommended to you will be assessed by a strict set of peer reviews.

In some cases, some of the lawyers on this site will even have been issued awards by BestLawyers.com. If you want to be sure that you. This means that you are going to be able to search anywhere in Canada for the most highly recommended lawyer for family law in your area, thereby ensuring that you are going to get the best possible family lawyer.

This is definitely one of the better ways to do it if you can’t get one personally referenced.

Where to Find One: Lexpert.ca

Another website dedicated to creating a directory of potential lawyers, searchable by specialization, is Lexpert.ca. This one is unique to Canada, and will again allow you to browse through a list of lawyers that are focused on family law.

The potential lawyers are subcategorized by how often they are recommended, letting you know that you are going to be getting a lawyer who has not only been successful in his dealings with clients but is well-liked amongst them and his peers.

Is It the Right Lawyer?

If you’ve finally come to a decision about hiring a lawyer and have successfully identified a few possible candidates for handling your family law issues, then the next step is to have a consultation with them. This consultation will be a great opportunity for you to get to know what your lawyer is like. You will have the opportunity to ask them questions about themselves and about the case.

Usually, rather than there being a set in stone “best lawyer” for you, it will be this consultation that tells you if things are going to be compatible or not. Here are a few tips before you go that will hopefully help you to think about what you should be keeping in mind during your consultation:

• Go over your case to make sure that they are 100% sure they know what they are doing. If the lawyer has handled similar cases to yours before, then all the better. This will also let you know that your goals and how they will be achieved are coming from a similar state of mind.

• Alongside getting to know them a little better, find out how many people will be handling your specific case and if there will be any extra lawyers assigned to it that you haven’t met yet. It’s good to know this so that you understand who you are going to be communicating with over the coming months or years.

• Establish what the costs are going to be. Every lawyer operates differently, so to get a feel for what you will be paying you are going to want to find out every little detail of your future bill, so that you aren’t caught unawares.

• Ask them what problems they think you are likely to run into if it’s a specific case that you have in mind. Getting back a realistic response here will let you know that the lawyer is taking your case seriously.