Do I Really Need A Lawyer To Handle My Divorce?

By Author: Michele Hart
Total Articles: 6
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It's quite common for people to have a negative belief about the divorce process and about divorce attorneys in general. Unfortunately, there are some lawyers who make it a practice to be as aggressive as possible. In these cases, a battle will often result that can go on and on until the parties are emotionally and financially spent. To make matters worse, we hear of those cases where attorneys don't return phone calls or adequately explain what is happening in your case.

When you operate from this belief about divorce attorneys, you might be tempted to forego an attorney and go it alone. This is a time in your life, however, when it does not make much sense to make significant decisions while you are emotionally distraught without legal advice - decisions that result in binding legal orders that could affect your life and the lives of your children for years to come.

Harmful consequences can often result when people try to represent themselves in their divorce and certainly in a child custody or child support matter. For instance, people have come to me after the fact wanting to undo an Order that has been ...
... issued by the court. Or they will ask me to resolve an ongoing parenting time dispute after having spent years filing and defending one post judgment motion after another with little or no relief from the court, yet with lots of frustration.

Therefore, you should abandon any preconceived negative beliefs about divorce attorneys and instead decide what you want - keeping in mind your most significant goals for the future. Then, find the attorney who is right for you. Ideally, your attorney should present you with a variety of options that include more than divorce litigation, such as divorce mediation or collaborative divorce. Of course, your divorce attorney must be competent and preferably concentrate in family and matrimonial matters. He or she should also be trustworthy, respect you and your needs, and be a skilled negotiator and advocate. In short, your divorce attorney should work for you, not against you, to achieve what you want and need most from your divorce or other important family matter.

Please contact me directly to schedule a consultation to discuss your situation and how I can help.