What are the Most Important Questions I Should Ask a Divorce Attorney?

(1) What potential custody schedules are appropriate for my case?

There are not an infinite amount of child custody and visitation schedules out there. The Orange County parenting guidelines are a terrific source that helps parents understand the potential different custody and parenting time arrangements the family court may take into consideration, depending on the facts and issues of particular cases.

Those custody and parenting time arrangements vary depending on issues such as the status quo that existed at the time of the parents' separation, the status quo that has existed since separation, the bonding between parent and child, and many others.

(2) What will child support be?

Child support is one of the few areas of law that can be clear so long as there isn't a significant dispute in the income of the parents. If you and your spouse are W-2 wage earners, there's no reason the lawyer with whom you consult cannot at least give you a range of potential child-support orders. While the timeshare and visitation schedule with the children will affect child support, the numbers can be calculated with those variations in mind.

• If you are the one who expects to pay child support, having this information can help you plan ahead, especially to help you budget other expenses and fees.
• If you are the one who expects to receive child support, having this information will similarly help you plan and avoid unnecessary disputes and legal battles with the other parent.

​Learn more about the Orange County Department of Child Support Services and how to better understand what they do and how they can be useful and not.

(3) How much should I expect the temporary spousal support order to be?

Temporary spousal support in California is also governed by the same computer program that determines child support. And most family law cases that involve W-2 wage earners or income that isn't difficult to calculate can result in relatively easy temporary spousal support determinations. While the marital lifestyle and the status quo does have some relevance to the temporary spousal support order, reliance on the computer-generated programs is common and most often used by judges in standard divorce cases that don't merit a deviation.

(4) How much will my divorce cost?

The question of how much does a divorce cost is a common one and important to any person going through a family law case.

• Our article "How Much Does a Divorce Cost?" goes through some of the factors to keep in mind concerning the cost of a divorce.
• Want to know more about the types of fees you can expect, read our pages on the types of fees and costs common in family law representation.

Attorneys fees in a divorce case don't have to be a nightmare. It is actually easy and efficient to manage fees through planning and preparation as well as communication with your attorney.

(5) how long will my divorce take?

How long does a divorce take in California? Similar to how much a divorce costs, the answer does depend on a variety of factors. The key to managing the length of a divorce is being reasonable. Even in the face of your spouse's unreasonable and contentious behavior, using good common sense, business sense and evaluating the issues that are worth court intervention and the ones that are not can go a long way in helping you get your divorce concluded within a reasonable period of time.

For some related reading, check out our article entitled "How to tell your spouse you want a divorce".

What questions should I ask a divorce attorney…or should we write, our attorneys?

We're here for you. We are a phone call away. We know you have questions to ask us and we are ready to sit down with you and go through them.