Child custody lawyers are legal experts who’s job it is to assist their clients in a legal dispute over the parenting arrangements for their kids. This most often is the case following an acrimonious divorce where both parties are seeking primary caregiver status over their kids and may want to deny the other parent’s access.

If you are facing a dispute over your kids and need legal help, engaging a child custody lawyer is the obvious course of action. However, these types of practitioners are diverse (just like any group) in the way they like to work and their level of expertise.

In order to give you the best chance of securing a favourable outcome, you want to work with a professional who is experienced and possess the traits of a reputable solicitor. The following will look at some of the most important traits that your child custody lawyer should, ideally, have in their possession.

Sympathy and compassion

While a solicitor is generally not the first person you think of when you talk about the traits of sympathy and compassion – child custody lawyers are an exception because they work with a highly emotional subject matter. While they aren’t going to cry alongside you and hold a box of tissues open, they are going to share a sincere concern for the future wellbeing of the kids that are caught up in the middle of this dispute.

In saying this, the best child custody lawyers are most concerned with expediting lengthy and painful disputes between ex-partners so that the best interests of the children can be protected. This is reflected in the attitude of the Australian court system more broadly which is committed to a ‘best interests’ principle.

Charisma and negotiating skills

Another trait that’s important for child custody lawyers to have is a charismatic personality and skill at negotiating. Much of the work your solicitor is going to engage in will be representing you in negotiations with your ex and her representative.

Naturally, you want to go into this negotiation with confidence and an advocate who can communicate, persuade, reason and argue much more eloquently than you can. They will be able to interpret your wishes and translate that into actionable steps that give you the best chance of securing an ideal outcome.

Punctuality and reliability

Of course, your solicitor is meant to be organised and attentive so that you don’t have to be. While you shouldn’t be late to meetings, it’s worse if they are since they have a professional expectation on them. If someone takes your money to represent you in court or in negotiations, they need to take the job seriously and treat you like a client they truly value – not just another case number.

This also extends to how they correspond with your over the life of your dispute. They should be easy for you to contact when you have an urgent question and shouldn’t screen your calls or pass you off to a secretary.

As you can see, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to working effectively with child custody lawyers. Make sure you do your research and ask plenty of questions before making a final decision about which practitioner you are going to put your money and trust into so you can succeed.