Your lawyer wants to do the best job s/he can for you and your children. You want your lawyer to do the best job s/he can, too. Doing a good job requires teamwork; you both have to work toward a good outcome for your case. Here are a few ways you can make the best use of your attorney:

Use your attorney's time for legal business. If you are having difficulty coping with the stress, it's important for your attorney to know that. The stress of your dissolution and the stress of negotiating parenting issues directly impacts your ability to parent your children. Your attorney can probably give you names of several therapists who work with parents and children in your situation, but your attorney cannot be your therapist. Consider finding a support group, a therapist, or a sympathetic friend with whom you talk out your problems and worries so that your attorney can concentrate on the legal matters.

Keep your file up to date. If your attorney doesn't already give you copies of all documents, ask for copies of all court documents filed so far and all important letters sent to and received from opposing counsel. Having these documents at your house will help you stay informed about your case and will help you stay on schedule.

Keep to the schedule. Your lawyer has a schedule to keep. Sure, attorneys have some control over their schedules, but the Court sets deadlines that the attorney must meet. In your case, the court set dates to exchange information, to file documents, and to hold meetings and conferences. These deadlines are in your scheduling order. Your lawyer also needs information to build your case. Provide information your lawyer needs as quickly as you can so your lawyer can have a complete understanding of your case as soon as possible.

Pay your bill on time. That's an odd piece of advice for making the best use of your attorney, isn't it? Most people think lawyers make a lot of money. But your lawyer has office bills and personal bills to pay, the same as your mechanic and your grocer and the kid who mows your lawn. Your mechanic couldn't afford to work for free and neither can lawyers. If you're having trouble paying your bill, call your lawyer and work out a payment plan rather than letting the bill go unpaid.