The first thing you need is a solid understanding of how divorce law works. This article describes the basic substance of separation and marital dissolution law. With this information, you can better grasp the overall outline of the separation and divorce process. You will then be able to make more informed decisions about how you yourself should proceed, once you or your spouse decide that you should no longer live together.

The Smart Guide to Hiring a Great Lawyer

Hiring A lawyerLawyers who rely on traditional referrals and upon informed consumers researching experience and qualifications are at a distinct disadvantage these days.

 

The number of years the attorney has been practicing law.

 

We have practiced law for 26 years, since 1977. That includes a hitch as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting the full range of state criminal cases, three years in small town general practice, and a decade in an insurance defense firm defending personal injury, wrongful death and insurance coverage lawsuits for insurance companies, corporations and government agencies throughout Georgia. 

 

The attorney specializes in the area of law that pertains to your case.

 

For 21 years, my practice has been almost entirely representation of plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases. For a decade before that I handled the defense side of such cases. About 75% of my practice now involves commercial truck and bus crashes.

 

The lawyer has good trial experience -- actually takes cases to trial -- not just going to court for hearings.

 

We have tried about thousand cases to verdict before juries. I have had to document my trial experience for board certification with the National Board of Trial Advocacy in 1995, and for re-certification in 2000 and 2005.

 

The attorney has a good track record and wins at trial.

 

Recently, I have won jury verdicts for $3.3 million in a broken leg case in a conservative rural county in northwest Georgia, and $2.25 million for a cervical fusion despite strong evidence of assumption of the risk. Other cases during the same time period have settled favorably before or during trial because the other side knew we were prepared to take them to verdict.

 

The lawyer has a good understanding of or experience with injury cases that are similar to yours.

 

I have successfully handled cases involving wrongful death, spinal cord injury, brain injury, burns and back injuries, Competent handling of any of these cases requires a solid understanding of insurance law.

 

The attorney has been recognized with awards and distinctions. Read my bio.

 

Among other things, I'm a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, rated as a "Super Lawyer" in Atlanta Magazine, listed among the "Legal Elite" in Georgia Trend Magazine, have an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and am in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Currently, I am the elected Treasurer of the 40,000 member State Bar of Georgia.