Deciding whom to work with is only the beginning of your case. To really get the most out of your work with your attorney, you want to stay actively involved throughout the duration. This means a couple of things.
The passage of a lot of time in between meetings and contacts with your lawyer can significantly slow your case down, and cost you more money in the end.
One, you want to stay on top of deadlines and homework assignments. There will often be information to gather in between meetings with your lawyer. Keep an active list of what is to be done, by whom, and by when. Your attorney should do this, too, but having you on top of it will help move things along as quickly as possible. Keep a notebook! Write down not only any questions you have, or troubling issues that come up that you want to ask your attorney about, but also the information you get from meetings with your attorney, and your and others’ takeaway homework assignments.
Do everything possible to understand the decisions you’ll have to make as part of the divorce process. This requires that you get acquainted with some aspects of your finances, or parenting of your children, that you may be less than familiar or comfortable with. Different people accomplish that in different ways. Some prefer having their attorney or another professional (e.g., a financial planner) explain it to them. Some prefer reading online resources or watching educational videos. Some prefer to ask friends who’ve been through the process before them (double-check any information you get through informal channels with your attorney, to make sure you weren’t lead astray!).
Try to make yourself as available as possible, to respond to your attorney’s questions and to meet, so that the case can move forward. The passage of a lot of time in between meetings and contacts with your lawyer can significantly slow your case down, and cost you more money in the end. Sometimes, it’s not possible to be in touch. Whenever that’s the case, don’t worry about it—just recommit to the process when life permits.