Free guide · Booking a first consult?
The meter starts running the moment you sit down. Walk in knowing what to ask.
The Consult Checklist: 20 questions to ask before you hire a family law attorney, and what to listen for in each answer.
Get the ChecklistHere’s what nobody tells you about a first consult. You sit down, the clock starts, and most people spend that paid time on the one thing the attorney can’t help with: telling the story. The timeline. What was said. How it all felt.
Your story matters. A paid consult is just the most expensive place in the world to tell it.
And the questions that decide whether this is the right attorney? Most people don’t know to ask them.
A few from the list
“Have you ever consulted with my spouse or co-parent?”
Ask it in the first five minutes, before you tell your story.
“Who will actually be working on my case day to day?”
The attorney in the room isn’t always the one answering your emails.
“What tends to make a case more expensive than people expect?”
A straight answer here tells you a lot about the person giving it.
What’s inside
- Part 1 · Before the consult: the one-page summary, a short timeline, the documents to bring, and where your finances stand.
- Part 2 · The 20 questions, by theme: local knowledge and track record, staying current on the law, strategy and communication, money and billing, logistics and fit. Each one comes with a note on what to listen for.
- Part 3 · After the consult: the green flags and red flags to weigh before you sign anything.
- Permission to interview more than one. Many people do. A good attorney won’t make you feel wrong for it.
What this is not: legal advice, an opinion about your case, or a substitute for an attorney. It’s a preparation and interview guide to help you hire one well.
⚠ Read this first
If your situation involves domestic violence, an active protective order, substance abuse affecting parenting, CPS or DCFS involvement, allegations of abuse, an active mental health crisis, international abduction risk, significant special needs, complex finances or hidden-asset concerns, or active parental alienation, your need for a licensed family law attorney is urgent. Use this checklist to help you hire one quickly and well, never as a reason to wait.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788), 24/7, free, confidential. In immediate danger: 911, always.
Where should I send it?
If someone else can see your email or phone, use an address only you can open.
You’ll get the checklist on the next page and by email. You’ll also get occasional emails with new free resources; unsubscribe anytime.
The Consult Checklist is a free educational publication, not legal advice. The author is not an attorney. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing you share is protected by attorney-client privilege. An attorney licensed in your state must advise you on what actually applies. © 2024–2026 ValuED Sales LLC dba May Divorce Be With You