7 Reasons Why You Definitely Should Hire a Divorce Attorney
When filing for a divorce, it is no secret that the expenses can get out of control. This is why so many people assume they can handle their divorce on their own, using the court provided documents and some informational blog they find on the Internet. While a do-it-yourself divorce may seem easy, it is generally not recommended. When seeking a divorce, it is in your best interest to seek the legal counsel of a knowledgeable and practiced attorney and here are seven important reasons why.
1. You Need Expert Advice
One of the biggest reasons to hire a divorce attorney is to make sure you are getting the advice and direction you need during the divorce process in order to ensure you get everything you deserve out of the court hearings. Not all state laws support an even split of marital assets depending on the situation surrounding the divorce, so having an attorney on your side can help to prevent you from getting shorted your share – you may be entitled to retirement benefits or other income about which you did not know.
Attorneys are an invaluable resource for those who are entering into a very complicated divorce. If you are facing child custody issues, substantial income challenges, having to deal with debts, assets or future assets, such as an inheritance, it is only in your best interest to hire an attorney to help sort through these issues. Having a knowledgeable attorney on your side who knows the laws and understands your wants and needs can help to make the divorce process smoother and easier to handle.
2. You Cannot Afford to Make Mistakes
When someone tries to go through the divorce process on their own, they often make mistakes that could cost them in the end. The legal system during a divorce is complicated and the added stress of leaving your partner and starting life over can lead individuals to not think clearly or make the right decisions for their future. Having an attorney represent you can help to avoid making those kinds of mistakes by understanding the legal system and being emotionally removed to make smart choices.
3. You Need to Keep the Process Moving
Even though it is possible for an individual to have a do-it-yourself divorce using the court provided documents, it can sometimes be difficult for them to fill out the documentation properly or submit it to the court on time. Having problems with paperwork and inadequate information can often slow down the divorce process, making it more expensive and more time consuming in the long run. A divorce attorney will know exactly what forms and other documentation needs to be submitted and when, helping to keep the process moving and get the divorce finalized sooner rather than later.
4. You Need to Present the Right Case
When an individual submits his or her own documentation for a divorce, the court will have to determine what the individual desires as part of the divorce and make a judgment based on that assumption. In some cases, the judge will misinterpret the individual’s intentions and bring him or her into a legally binding agreement for something he or she did not want and produce a divorce decree that states something the individual never intended.
Having a family attorney to represent you can help to avoid this type of issue during your divorce. A practiced attorney will be able to take your wishes and desires and present them to the court in a way it will understand, helping to ensure the end result of your divorce is what you intended all along. Additionally, the legal documents that your attorney prepares will help to form a divorce decree that is error free and has clear language, making it that much easier to enforce by the court.
5. You Need Support Getting Custody of Your Children
In many divorce cases, the custody of children becomes a very big issue. If you have children with your spouse, it is important to seek out a lawyer who is not only versed in divorce but also in child custody laws for the state in which you live. This is especially important if you are seeking primary custody of the children that were brought into the marriage. A knowledgeable attorney will be able to explain your rights as a parent and help to build a case that will, hopefully, grant you the custody you are seeking.
6. Your Need to Reduce Your Stress
Going through a divorce on your own is very stressful and that added stress with your emotional state can make it difficult if not impossible to make clear, level-headed decisions. Having an attorney help you through the process can help to greatly alleviate this stress – even though you will need to provide the attorney with information, he or she will generally handle all of the paperwork and other aspects of the divorce so you do not have to. Having these tasks off your plate will bring your stress level down and give you more space to focus on other parts of your life like your family, children, or living situation.
Additionally, divorce attorneys can sometimes act as shoulders for their clients to lean on during a sometimes painful process. Often during a divorce, an individual will just need to speak about his or her feelings, concerns, frustrations, worries and pain and a divorce attorney is the perfect ear to lend. Not only will you be able to air your feelings, you will know your opinions and comments are safe with your lawyer and will not be used against you during the divorce hearings to come.
7. You Need a Mediator between You and Your Spouse
It is not uncommon for divorcing couples to have some type of anger or animosity toward one another. When you add this higher emotional level into the divorce mix, it can often mean that one or both of the spouses make bad decisions in order to be spiteful or hurt their former partner. An attorney can act as a mediator between the couple, helping the client to make the right decisions despite how he or she feels about the soon-to-be ex. Having someone to redirect negative emotions during a divorce is key.
Taking a divorce to court and dragging it out over a period of time can often mean higher expenses for both spouses. Usually, in order to have the divorce settlement completed as soon as possible, couples will look to settle much of their divorce outside of a courtroom. This is where an attorney is especially helpful – during these negotiations, an attorney will be able to protect your rights against unfair negotiations and hopefully help to bring both parties to a place of agreement outside of the courtroom.
One of the biggest reasons to hire a divorce attorney is to make sure you are getting the advice and direction you need during the divorce process in order to ensure you get everything you deserve out of the court hearings Do most lawyers represent both parties in the divorce or do they get separate lawyers? My friend and his wife got married very young and have now decided that they want a divorce. Hiring an attorney to help them through the process might be a good idea.