Hiring an attorney help please...

[specsgirl]

We've now decided that we can no longer do this ourselves and while we can't afford an attorney right now, we will somehow have to for the sake of the ss.  Here's my question.  The court case is in a different county approx 2 1/2 hours away from us where the BM lives.  Do we look for an attorney in the city where she lives and where the court case is, or do we look for one near us?  Any suggestions and imput would be greatly appreciated.

P.S.
Can anyone recommend any one good in either Brown County/Green Bay Area of Wisconsin?
Thanks!
Shannon

[Brent]

>Do we look for an attorney in the
>city where she lives and where the court case is, or do we
>look for one near us?  

Look for one near her, as he/she will be more familiar with the judges there (very important). Here are a couple of articles to get you started:

Hiring An Effective Attorney
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/effective.htm

How To Hire An Attorney
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/hiring.htm

Attorney Interview Questions
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/attyquestions.htm

Also, one of the first things you'll hear is "Document, document, document!".  Get yourself either the Parenting Time Tracker (PTT) or the OPTIMAL Custody Tracking service at: http://www.parentingtime.net. The PTT is good, but the OPTIMAL service is better.

[grazer]

Please take the advice below as just for what it is, free and not legal advice. But simply advice or ideas that I have experinced in my own situation.

First and foremost, it is always my belief that if you ever enter into a court battle and the opposing party has an attorney representing them. Then it is often foolish to attempt to represent yourself. The reason: attorney's have all sorts of tricks, quirks of law, and experince of court trials, that a person that is "not" a legal/experinced attorney does not have. And if you attempt to represent yourself and are not "totally" experinced with court battles, then you become easy prey for the opposing attorney. This is especially true if the opposing side's attorney is a shark/less than a scruplous attorney. And often, it appears to me, attorneys that practice domestic law, are often less than scruplous.

If you represent yourself in a court battle, the opposing attorney will use all sorts of tricks/legal quirks to completely destroy your case. Because opposing attorney's know that you will most likely not know tricks/legal quirks, and use those tricks to thwart, stall, mislead, and basically legally destroy your attempt at justice. It's sad fact, but a fact that I truely believe.

The question of obtaining an attorney in the same court/county that has jurisidiction, is two sided. Often attorney's that practice law in the county that has jurisdiction, have repor with the judge and has faced the particular judge that you will be apear before. Therefore an attorney that practices law in the same county will know the history to the judge and often know/be experinced how the judge will rule or know the attitude of the judge of particular issues(ie; pro-father/pro-mother bias, or pro-shared custody/pro-joint legal custody, ect.). Also the attorney will probably know opposing attorney and be able to better communicate with opposing attorney. Or know that it will be hard to get anything done because of opposing attorney is a slim ball. Also attorney in same county will not charge you hourly and milage for travel to the court, as an attoreny will often do from another town/county.
 

[specsgirl]

Thanks for all of your help..we have now started on the "hunt" for a good one!

[bluesman]

I realize I'm chiming in late but I have to echo all of the advice here and say that you should definitely get an attorney in the area where your case will be heard. I learned this the hard way and have paid dearly for it. I fired my first attorney, and got one who's been practicing in the area for 30 years and knows every player and their brother. Its made a huge difference. And yes, good attorney's are expensive. I have gone broke by paying attornies $450 and hour. I've gone through everything I have and more. But if you don't have a GOOD attorney, your chances of success are that much more difficult.

An attorney not in the area will tell you it doesn't make a difference. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Best of luck