Legal Question in Family Law in Arizona

Re: Arizona (Mesa)

You can find lists of divorce lawyers in the Yellow Pages, from the Maricopa County Bar lawyer referral program, and also by calling the Arizona State Bar Association. The Bar maintains a list of lawyers who have been "certified" as divorce specialists, although many other good divorce lawyers have not gone through the certification process.

Most people find an attorney by word of mouth - when someone has been satisfied with the service they receive, that's a good sign about client service and customer satisfaction. You will want to ask questions that help you assess your own comfort level before choosing an attorney. Before hiring an attorney, ask for a phone or face-to-face meeting with two or three of the people you've been referred to. Don't hesitate to ask them any questions on your mind during this initial conference, because this is your only opportunity to gauge what it will be like to work together on your case.

You might also consider divorce mediation. Divorce mediation uses one mediator to help both spouses work through contentious issues, rather than each spouse hiring their own lawyer (some people choose to hire a lawyer to advise them and to review their agreements while in the mediation process - which is still much, much cheaper than litigating). Mediation is a structured process that enables people to sort through their differences and come to agreements they can live with, even when the animosity between the two people has become very high. Because the process is non-adversarial, the level of satisfaction with the outcome is generally higher than those who experience litigation, and the time frame for finishing the process much shorter. Also, because the process takes less time and is less contentious, the costs are generally significantly less than litigation. I am a mediator, and if you want to read more about divorce mediation, you might want to look at my web site, www.yesmediation.com. You can also e-mail me your snail mail address, and I'd be happy to send you some additional information. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you need help with a lawyer referal.

Re: Arizona (Mesa)

I am only one of many. The State Bar of Arizona may have some sort of listing. You can see them at www.azbar.org. Or, you can look under "Attorneys" in the yellow pages, then look for the divorce section.

As far as our firm, we offer free 1/2 hour consultations, in which we can discuss your matter in detail.

Please call me directly to discuss the specifics of your case, or contact my assistant Cathy to schedule a free 1/2 hour consultation. I look forward to talking with you.

/s/ Rich J. Peters, Attorney

JON C. DAKE & ASSOC., P.C.

1422 N. 2nd Street, Suite 100

Phoenix, Arizona 85004

602.254.7251

602.254-1229 (facsimile)

see our web page at www.familylawaz.com