Can My Spouse and I Use the Same Lawyer in a Divorce?

We frequently hear from people who are working out their own divorce settlements amicably, and they want to hire a single lawyer to assist them in completing the divorce. They even are considering the same lawyer to advise them as to what their final settlement should look like....
October 18, 2013

Should I Go To A Big Downtown Law Firm For My Divorce?

As a general rule, a big law firm does a lot of business/commercial law, which I would guess is because that kind of law often requires a lot of manpower. On the other hand, divorce law is more typically practiced in small and solo law firms. The large commercial law firms may have a few family law...
August 23, 2013

Does Hiring A Lawyer Increase The Odds of Going to Trial?

There is a common belief that hiring a divorce lawyer increases your chances of going to trial. Actually, we believe just the opposite. We have seen many people representing themselves end up at trial because they did not know how to prepare for settlement discussions or how to negotiate effectively...
July 19, 2013

Can I Do My Divorce Without a Lawyer?

Yes, you can do all of your divorce without a lawyer, though the paperwork and rules can be intimidating, and it is easy to make costly mistakes. The state has published standard forms for doing it yourself (and lawyers are required to use the same forms). However, if you do find that you need help,...
July 12, 2013

Should I Use My Regular Attorney For My Divorce?

Today's legal landscape is one of increasing specialization. Lawyers working in a particular area of the law need to be familiar with the statutes, the case law, the court rules, and even the unwritten rules in their area of practice. In some small towns, lawyers still have to be generalists because...
July 5, 2013

Are Consults Free?

Some lawyers do offer free consults to get people in the door. At Seattle Divorce Services, we believe in charging a reasonable but reduced fee for the initial consultation, and then giving good value for that fee. We don't rush you out the door because the time allotted for the consult is up -- we...
June 21, 2013

When Should I See a Divorce Lawyer?

If you think you may be heading towards a divorce, it is never too early to talk to a divorce lawyer. Even if you are not ready to start the divorce itself, it is a good idea to get some information about what to expect. That includes what the process will look like, the kinds of documentation and o...
June 7, 2013

Does My Ex Get Custody of Our Child if I Die?

I was recently asked whether a parent could provide in her will for who would take care of her child if that parent died. She was concerned that the child's father was not up to adequately caring for the child. I had to let her know despite any provisions in a will, the other parent would normally b...
May 17, 2013

Can We Hire Mediators Instead of Lawyers?

Since we do both mediation and representation, we are often contacted by people who want to hire one of our lawyers as their mediator so they can get everything done by one person. However, the functions of mediators and lawyers are different, even when the mediator is a lawyer. We act as a lawyer w...
May 10, 2013

What Does a Divorce Cost?

A frequent question from callers is some form of "what will my divorce cost?" The problem is that there is no simple answer. In some ways it is like asking what does a house cost, or what does a car cost. The difference of course is that we don't know what your divorce is going to end up looking lik...
April 12, 2013