Divorce can be both emotionally and financially complex, especially when children, shared assets like real estate, and special circumstances like business ownership or stock options are involved. Your choice of an attorney to help you navigate these waters is an important decision, and the only step you’ll have to take in the process without a trusted professional advocate by your side. Understandably, that can feel momentous. You want to get it right.
This guide will help you confidently select an attorney that fits your needs if you’re considering divorce in Indianapolis. It provides a close look at five significant variables that can affect outcomes, and equips you with a checklist of questions to ask during consultations.
Three Key Factors to Consider:
1. Simply Put, Experience Matters
You will need an attorney for whom Family Law is a primary area, and you should expect that time will be taken to understand your unique situation. The more experience the attorney and their team have in handling family and matrimonial matters, the more knowledgeable they are likely to be about implications and effective strategies.
An experienced attorney will know what is likely to generate an optimal outcome; they will strive to resolve your case outside of court, but prepare from day one for every eventuality. They will be more practiced at explaining to you the complexities of significant matters such as tax consequences or division of retirement assets that may include both pre-marital and post-marital contributions. And while they may have higher hourly rates, they may also be more cost-effective, since they tend to be more efficient with your time.
Joan Champagne has 28 years of experience and is a trained collaborative divorce practitioner. My motto in working with any new client is: “I seek to take the complex divorce struggle and make it bite sized and manageable for the family.” – Joan Champagne, founding partner at White and Champagne Law.
2. Complex Divorce Cases Require Strong Collaboration Partners
Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may need a team of professionals to support your divorce. While your divorce attorney can identify the legal implications of complex issues and take steps to protect your rights as your case progresses, additional professionals may also be necessary. For example, in a high-net-worth divorce, a forensic accountant may be needed to evaluate financial matters. Cases involving privacy concerns, a personal brand tied to business assets, or significant reputational exposure may also benefit from the guidance of trusted communications or reputation management professionals and even a business broker working alongside your legal team.
At White & Champagne, we can assemble the right team to support your case. Having practiced law in Indianapolis for many years, we have developed a trusted network of collaboration partners who can address the wide range of issues that may arise during your divorce.
3. The Right Communication Style for Your Needs
How often you and your attorney communicate, and the method by which that happens, is partly a matter of personal preference and partly a matter of the particulars of your case. At the beginning of the process, when your attorney is getting to know you and spending time deeply understanding the details of your case, you should expect to be in communication more frequently, up to a few times a week, most likely in real time. Thereafter, you may communicate as little as once a month or as often as once a week or more.
Email is mainly used for matters that are less urgent or complex, while real-time conversations are more appropriate, and often more cost-effective, when an issue needs detailed explanation or timely action. Even when concerns are comparatively simple, if there is a lot going on, a short phone call can be more efficient than an email.
Are you ready to take your first step?
When you schedule a consultation, the attorney should tell you what to bring with you, and what your conversation will likely include. They may ask you to bring records related to your assets, income, and other relevant matters, or ask you to be ready to answer questions about what you’d ideally like a custody arrangement or division of property to look like.
The bottom line is that careful preparation can help you make an informed decision about the attorney you hire. It will also help you move through the divorce process in Indianapolis with more resilience and clarity, whether your divorce is simple and uncontested, complex and high-conflict, or anywhere in between.
