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MEETING OPTIONS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS: The Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen understands your concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, and now offers different meeting options to our clients and those seeking legal representation. All meetings, including initial consultations, can be handled either through the phone, FaceTime, Zoom, or in person.

What to Look for in a New Jersey Divorce Attorney

Making the decision to end your marriage is one of the most difficult challenges you may face during the course of your lifetime. If you find yourself in this situation, you may now find yourself wondering what to look for in a New Jersey divorce attorney. There are a number of factors to bear in mind as you consider retaining legal counsel to represent you in your New Jersey marriage dissolution case.

  • Experience
  • Firm structure
  • Fees and payment scheme
  • Rapport with legal counsel
  • Client caseload
New Jersey Divorce Attorney Experience

On some level, it should go without saying that you want an experienced divorce attorney. With that said, you need to take the examination of the experience of prospective legal counsel a step further. You need to ascertain whether or not a particular New Jersey divorce lawyer has a suitable background in representing clients in marriage dissolution matters that have a similarity to your own. For example, if you are heading into or already involved in a high-asset divorce, you need to make sure that an attorney you consider retaining has specific experience in representing clients in these types of marriage dissolution cases.

Firm Structure

When you are seeking a New Jersey divorce lawyer, you also need to consider firm structure. By this it is meant that the setup of a particular law firm does have at least some impact on the manner in which you will be represented in divorce proceedings. For example, an element of firm structure that you will want to explore is who on the team will be your primary point of contact regarding your case. Will it be the attorney his or herself? Or will it be a legal assistant or someone else on the firm staff?

Fees and Payment Scheme

One area in which attorneys and clients do fall into conflict is in regard to fees and costs. You lessen the odds that you might end up in conflict with a lawyer over legal fees and costs if you fully understand the fees and payment scheme before you retain a New Jersey lawyer.

Not only do you want to make certain that you understand a fee arrangement, but you need to have such an agreement committed to writing, Moreover, you want to take time to closely review any contract for services or fees provided to you from a potential lawyer.

Rapport with Legal Counsel

You will be in contact with your divorce lawyer for what may prove to be a relatively significant amount of time. No matter the extent of time you may spend with legal counsel, you need to enter a professional relationship with an understanding that you do have a good rapport with a particular lawyer.

Client Caseload

When examining the possibility of hiring a particular lawyer, you should ascertain the state of an attorney’s caseload. This part of the attorney screening process is something of an exercise in weighing and balancing. In the final analysis, you do not want an attorney that has such a large caseload that he or she cannot make proper time for you.

As part of evaluating a prospective New Jersey divorce attorney you will want to take full advantage of an initial consultation with a marriage dissolution lawyer like a member of the legal team at the Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen. You can reach the firm by calling 201-845-7400.


Client Reviews
★★★★★
Peter has integrity, and values his relationships with his clients beyond his financial relationship with them. For me to say this about any lawyer is really saying something. He is compassionate, straightforward and knowledgeable. I would easily recommend him to anybody. Lewie W.
★★★★★
Peter Van Aulen handled my case with great diligence and integrity. He is also a compassionate individual who realizes what a difficult time divorce can be emotionally. Peter works hard and doesn't take any shortcuts in preparing for a case… I highly recommend Mr. Van Aulen and his staff. Chuck Solomon
★★★★★
Peter is an exceptionally great attorney. He handled my child custody case and was able to ease any of my concerns with honest answers. He always took the time to explain the pros/cons and was always available to answer any questions that I had… I would highly recommend this attorney to anyone who is looking for one. Jessica Cruz
★★★★★
Peter Van Aulen is a very compassionate, honest and straightforward person. He was there for me at my lowest point with a genuine concern not only for my situation, but for me and my child's well being above all… He is fair and he is strong and when push comes to shove he is there for you. Cathy Dodge
★★★★★
Our cousin used Peter's law office to help with a sticky custody situation. He was extremely responsive, very nice and most importantly did an awesome job with the court! He is awesome. Lawrence Polsky
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