Finding a divorce attorney in your own city, county, and state is not difficult. There are many divorce lawyers in this country, and they practice in every county and state in the country. Finding a divorce lawyer in another state and language, however, is much more difficult. Here are some of the hurdles you may have to jump over to find this niche practitioner of the law.

Most Lawyers Only Have Licenses to Practice Law in One State

It is rare for any lawyer to have more than one license to practice law in more than one state. State bar associations all set their fees and license rates differently, which means that it could cost a divorce lawyer a couple hundred to practice law in his/her home state, and several hundred to a thousand or more to practice the same type of law in another state. However, given that divorce law falls under family law, and divorce lawyers are technically family lawyers, there are some extremely different laws on the books in every state regarding marriage, divorce and the division of property and child custody. 

That said, it could be quite costly for a lawyer to have and maintain several licenses to practice family law in nearby states, never mind states that are much farther away. The time and investment in becoming familiar with other laws in another state could occupy most of the lawyer's free time too. For that reason, most divorce lawyers only practice within their own county and state.

Fully Bilingual Lawyers Are Uncommon

There may be a few lawyers who can speak some conversational French, Spanish, etc. Yet most lawyers are not fluent in a second, much less a third or fourth, language. Unless they were born into a bilingual family, you may have to settle for an interpreter to help you divorce a spouse who does not speak English. States which frequently have fully bilingual lawyers are those with really high populations of people who speak a particular language.

California, for example, has several Spanish bilingual lawyers because it has a high population of Spanish-speaking residents. Less common languages, such as Syrian or Arabian, will require an interpreter, since these lawyers are not likely to hold licenses to practice law in several states and/or be anywhere near you. There is also the complication of cost, as most bilingual lawyers are aware that they are a niche lawyer and often charge a higher retainer to act as both legal counsel and interpreter in a divorce. To learn more, contact a firm such as Law Office of Emily T. Ross.