| At
the Rathel Law Group we handle both
contested and uncontested divorces, as
well as all matters relating to family
law. Mr. Rathel is both a former
mediator and prosecutor who has the
experience and qualifications to assist
you in your family law case. Protecting
your rights and that of your family will
be our top priority.
We
handle the following matters:
| Divorce |
Custody |
Child Support |
| Alimony |
Modification |
Paternity |
| Dependency |
Property Settlements |
Dispute Resolution |
| Restraining Orders |
Support Enforcement |
Injunctions |
At the
Rathel Law Group you will receive the
personalized attention that you
deserve. We have provided you with
attorney Michael Rathel's private cell
phone number so that you can get a hold
of him with your questions at anytime.
Article written by
Michael Rathel "How To Pick an Attorney"
Deciding which
attorney you should use in your divorce
is a difficult decision. I would
encourage each and every person
contemplating the hiring of a divorce or
family law attorney in the Orlando,
Florida area to look carefully at
several factors before making their
decision. The decision of who to hire
could greatly affect the outcome of your
case and make the overall journey
through the divorce process more
productive. The following factors
should be taken into account: 1. how
many years experience does the attorney
have? 2. Does the attorney primarily
practice family law? 3. How easily
accessible is your attorney? 4. Do you
have a clear understanding of how much
the attorney is going to charge you? 5.
Did a prior client refer you to that
attorney? Are you comfortable with that
lawyer? I will talk about all of these
factors which in my opinion will allow
you to improve your chances of hiring
the best attorney for your particular
needs.
How many years
experience does the attorney have? Does
the attorney primarily practice family
law?
Many clients come
to me and hire my services after already
hiring a previous attorney. Often times
they tell me that they found out that
the attorney they initially hired
specialized in personal injury or
criminal defense and took their family
law case on without fully understanding
on how to assist them in the appropriate
manner. Choosing an attorney who is
well versed in the issues surrounding
divorce and family law is critical to
the quality of legal service that you
receive. This can be easily ascertained
in part by simply asking the question of
“how many years has the attorney
practiced family law and how many cases
have they handled?” If the answer is “I
handled my sister’s divorce” than you
should probably think long and hard
about being the practice case for an
attorney who has little to no
experience. I know many lawyers who are
great personal injury lawyers or
criminal defense lawyers but know very
little about what goes into helping
someone through the divorce process.
Many people think that any attorney can
help them with a divorce and this could
be a major mistake since there are many
issues surrounding a divorce case that
require an experienced lawyer in which
to handle. Make sure you ask the right
questions first! “How many years
experience do you have? Do you
primarily practice family law?”
How easily
accessible is your attorney?
Prior to my becoming a lawyer, my wife
and I hired a lawyer to assist us in our
own personal legal matter. Once we
retained the lawyer we were never able
to get in touch with him and it seemed
like the only people we were allowed to
speak with was the lawyer’s support
staff. Hiring a lawyer who is easy to
contact is very important to the success
of the divorce process. Make sure that
you have all of the lawyer’s contact
information and clarify what type of
communication will be allowed once you
hire the lawyer. I currently give out
my cell phone number to all of my
clients for emergencies in order to keep
an open line of communication with my
clients.
How much is the
lawyer going to charge?
It is important to
make sure you have a signed contract
with the person you choose to be your
lawyer. Make sure that contract
clarifies who will be responsible for
the filing fees, costs associated with
the case and the lawyer’s and support
staff’s hourly rates. If your lawyer
offers a flat fee service make sure that
the contract clearly states what that
flat fee will or will not cover, and
whether supplemental services like
filing fees and additional costs are
included, or if they are an additional
sum that you must plan for. It is
important to understand that if you
cannot continue to pay your lawyer than
most likely that lawyer will withdraw
from your case. That means it is very
important for you to determine in
advance whether or not you can afford
the legal services being offered for the
divorce or family law case by that
particular lawyer. If you cannot
continue to pay and the lawyer withdraws
from your case, in most cases you will
not receive a refund because a lawyer
sells his/her time and that time has
already been used. It is a horrible
experience to get 75% of the way through
your case simply to have the lawyer
withdraw and you lose all of your money
and all of that time.
Did a prior
client refer you to that Lawyer?
It has been my
experience that I get the best services
when a friend or colleague of mine tells
me how good a particular product or
service was when they used it.
Referrals are a wonderful way to find
out about a lawyer especially if they
are a prior client of that lawyer or a
relative of the prior client. Ask your
friends, “What was it like to work with
that lawyer? Did the lawyer treat you
with respect? Did the lawyer return
your phone calls? Did you have to pay
more than the contract stated? What was
the outcome of your case?”
Are You
Comfortable with the Lawyer?
This is a tough one because being
comfortable with a lawyer is one thing,
but finding a lawyer that you’re
comfortable with and meets all of
the above requirements is the hard
part. But it is important that you get
along with the lawyer and feel
comfortable with them. You don’t have
to be friends with the lawyer but
understanding where they are coming from
and being comfortable is very
important. If you don’t feel
comfortable with a specific lawyer, keep
looking. I meet potential clients all
of the time that I don’t feel that I can
work with, and I tell them that I think
it would be in their best interest for
them to hire another lawyer and I often
refer them to a colleague that would be
a better fit. If I can turn away paying
business, then feel comfortable in
knowing that you should also find the
right lawyer who will adequately
represent your best interest.
Call Now
24/7
and speak with Orlando attorney Michael
Rathel,
1
(800) Ask-Us-First or (407)
808-3269 cell. |
