Maybe it means she’s going to make an immediate request for support on your behalf and start demanding financial documents, with the goal of having your case ready for trial within six months. Maybe your lawyer can’t say when things will happen because too much depends on what the other side wants; still, she should have a general idea of how the case will proceed from your side given any number of scenarios. One matrimonial lawyer tells us that clients often seek her out for a second opinion on their case. The most frequent complaint: their case has no direction, they see no end in sight, and it seems like they’re always responding to their spouse’s action with no overriding plan of their own. One such client eventually terminated his relationship with a lawyer—after five years of delay, during which he waited in limbo for decisions on child custody, child support payments, visitation schedules, and more. Often as not, delays were caused by his own attorney’s exhausting schedule as her city’s superstar divorce diva. She was on every talk show and in every newspaper, but somehow, in terms of this client, she was unable to do her job. Maybe custody will be an issue, and you’ll need an expert to testify on your behalf. In some jurisdictions, the judge will appoint an expert to report to the court, but you still might need someone to support your case. Your lawyer should start getting you the names of qualified people. Your attorney should return your calls within 24 hours unless there’s some reason why that’s impossible—for instance, if she’s in court or in the middle of a trial. On the other hand, you should only call when you have something to ask or something important to say. It’s a good idea to write down questions and save them for a few days (unless they are urgent) so you can ask several at once. Some lawyers bill you a minimum of 15 minutes per call, so you might as well take up the time you’ll be billed for anyway. One attorney we know even tells her clients how to dress on the day they will be in court. (“Go for the schoolteacher look,” she likes to say, “and leave the jewelry and fur at home.”)
