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When it comes to finding the best family lawyer in Edinburgh, often search results aren't of much use. When you carry out a search online, you are likely to find hundreds of firms each claiming to be the best family lawyer for you - but how do you know who to choose?
Here at Unlock the Law we think finding a lawyer should be simpler and that's why we have creat-ed this guide to finding the best family lawyer in Edinburgh - to give you the inside track on getting the best legal advice and representation.
This guide refers to finding a lawyer in Edinburgh and Scotland so please click here if you are looking for a family solicitor in Bradford or in the North of Engladnd.
While this guide has been created with Edinburgh in mind, the advice is equally applicable to other cities in Scotland and indeed the rest of the UK. Family lawyers deal with many of the issues that are most important to you, including:
Each of these legal issues can cause a great deal of stress and difficulty, however choosing your lawyer should not. Below we have listed some key considerations to help you get the right advice and legal support you need to get through divorce, separation, child contact problems or any other issue relating to family law.
It may sound obvious but when choosing a family lawyer, it is important to ensure that they special-ise in family law. Specialist family lawyers will have dealt with a great number of cases and have much better experience in dealing with you family law case. You can check the firm's website to see if the specialise in family law and you will also be able to see whether they are an accredited specialist. The Law Society of Scotland gives accreditation to family lawyers. Furthermore, the firm may also be a member of a professional body such as the Family Law Association.
While finding a firm specialising in family law is a good start, how do you know how good the firm is and whether they will answer the phone when you need them to? Again, the firm's website is a use-ful resource for finding out more about how they operate. Many law firm websites will include testi-monials from past and existing clients which can give great insight into how the firm works. Re-views and testimonials may include details of things such as how quickly the firm respond to emails, how upfront they were about timescales and costs and also how informed they kept the cli-ent about case progression. These factors are important in indicating the level of service that will be provided by the firm. While there is unfortunately no TripAdvisor for law firms at the moment, you should use reviews and testimonials from the firm's website in the same way. Where a firm has mainly positive reviews, it is likely they can be trusted to handle your case.
Many people use office location as the deciding factor in choosing a law firm. However, this needn’t be the case. While a city centre office location and ease of transport are important for many peo-ple, the age of the internet means that this may not be as essential as it was in the past. Most law firms connect with clients through phone calls, emails and even Skype or other forms of video chat. It may be useful to meet with your lawyer initially so as to build a relationship; later communications can be made through phone, email or video chat. This is a matter of personal preference as to whether you prefer to meet you lawyer face-to-face, but it is a consideration to take into account when choosing your family lawyer.
Family law disputes can differ greatly depending on the circumstances; this means it is important that the firm you choose offers the approach best suited to the outcome you are looking for. Expe-rienced solicitors will tailor their approach to get the best outcome for your situation. However, it may be that you are looking for a more straightforward solicitor to fight in your corner, or a solicitor who prefers to use conciliation or mediation to settle a dispute. Whatever your preferred approach, you will be able to assess the solicitor through your initial meetings and discussions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially concerning whether they consider mediation or litigation to be the best option for your individual circumstances.
Whichever lawyer you choose, you must make sure they are upfront about cost. Legal aid for fami-ly law cases is becoming increasingly restricted and it is important you fully understand feeing ar-rangements from the outset. Your chosen lawyer should provide clear guidance of the costs that may be incurred when taking family law action and should explain these fully to you.
We know how important finding the right lawyer can be, and that’s why we hope this post has been useful to you. Here at Unlock the Law, we also recommend Family Law Edinburgh as our trusted partner for all aspects of family law, find out more about the firm on their website - www.familylawedinburgh.co.uk
Find out more about your case - read our family law guides.
