Sourcing family law solicitors in Sydney that you can trust is an exercise that requires diligence, persistence and a keen instinct to judge a professional on their acumen.
These firms are charged with managing some of the most sensitive and emotionally charged legal conflicts that individuals and families can face.
From divorce and separation to child custody, the division of assets, child visitation rights and domestic violence charges among other categories, solicitors in this niche must have a particular set of skills unique to this industry.
Having a winning record is only part of the equation as they must manage their client’s anxieties over the span of the entire process.
So as an individual that may be encountering a family law matter, how can you best identify family law solicitors in Sydney that will match your requirements?
Step 1: Online Search
What you need to begin with is a comprehensive list of family law solicitors in Sydney who are ranked and rated based off past performance. In 2019 the only smart ploy that gives this exercise momentum is an online search, offering you a series of firm names, phone numbers, address details, email addresses and user ratings. The latter detail will offer a gauge as to past performance as clients who have an incentive to give online feedback usually do so because their experience was overwhelming positive or negative. Read these comments with precision.
Step 2: Legal Fraternity Networks
The city is awash with legal networks that can provide a comprehensive list of family law solicitors in Sydney. From legal associations and partnered bodies that give individuals the chance to contact these solicitors, each organisation has the capability to issue referrals. This is a helpful approach when you are beginning from scratch, only working off an internal internet search before connecting with family law associations.
Step 3: Personal Contacts
Friends and family members that have experience finding and dealing with family law solicitors in Sydney should be contacted. Even in the event that the outcome was unsatisfactory, they could have encountered other professionals or pass on advice that will help in your circumstances.
Step 4: Professional Contacts
Should you happen to work in a busy environment with various departments and numerous employees, this is fertile ground to pick the brains of colleagues for their experiences with family law solicitors in Sydney. There is no need to enter confidential discussions where you detail personal matters, but tap into their time spent with these firms and test the waters to see where certain brands rank and who can match performance with the rhetoric.
Step 5: Appointments and Consultations
Even if steps 3 and 4 were not fruitful because of a lack of experience with dealing with family law solicitors in Sydney, you should still have enough of a basis to engage in an initial consultation with a handful of top firms in the city. This is where an obligation-free consultation should be offered for those who want to understand their situation and examine how a firm will operate, bill and negotiate as the process continues. Sit down face-to-face with these solicitors as often as you can because then you can determine if they are suitable and up to the task of representing your needs.
Summary
It should be noted that these steps to source family law solicitors in Sydney have certain benefits and disadvantages. The good news is that these strategies are entirely cost effective as the only commodity that needs to be invested is your time and energy (not to be underestimated). The downside is that there are no guarantees these steps will produce the ideal outcomes because the legal system is fraught with unpredictability from internal and external influences. Either way, it is strongly advised that clients undertake their due diligence to remove all possible doubt to build a case that will hold up in court or during a negotiation between spouses.
