If you’re dealing with a divorce, and you’re not sure if you should hire a divorce attorney or do it yourself, think about these questions. First off, are you and your spouse currently talking and communicate on a regular basis? If not, it’s probably best to leave the divorce proceedings to the professionals.
It can be very costly and difficult to try to go through all of those legal channels on your own. An attorney can make things go much smoother, and a mediator is your best bet for helping keep emotions out of the process. For more professional takes on Divorce law, please do hop on over to reedlawgroupky.com.
Secondly, how well are you at managing stress in an emotional way? Divorce can be an extremely stressful event. Not only do you have to deal with the divorce itself, but now you have to deal with the custody issues, the divorce property, pre-nuptial agreement issues, alimony, and more.
If you’re not able to effectively handle these things on your own, it may be better to let the professionals handle it for you. A divorce attorney will be able to guide you through any difficult issues and will make sure that everything goes smoothly while keeping your spouse involved in the process so they know what’s going on.
Do you have any children who are currently staying with your spouse? If so, it might be helpful to involve the attorney in the child custody/visitation/settlement proceedings. Your attorney will be able to use your experience to help your spouse get a fair custody arrangement that meets their needs best.
As well, working with a divorce attorney can make things go much smoother for you as the couple. Do you or your spouse have any assets or investments that need to be taken care of post-divorce? If so, it will be necessary for you and your spouse to establish a schedule for where you each will get your fair share of the assets (or lack of) in the future.
You can easily do this on your own, but it will be much easier if you have an experienced divorce attorney working for you. The attorney will know all the specifics of state laws and can help you draw up a plan that both you and your spouse can work with.
Are you considering a child from another relationship? Sometimes one spouse will have an interest or children from another relationship. In this case, you can appoint an attorney from the family law firm to help you represent yourself in court.
This is most often used when a couple has a history of infidelity within their marriage or some other such thing. Do you or your spouse have any tax problems? In almost all states, at the end of a divorce, one spouse must pay child support, unless alimony is agreed upon.
In those cases, the state will take care of who pays what. It is always a good idea to speak with a certified public accountant or family law lawyer before making final decisions on your tax situation. These professionals can make sure your financial situation is in the best interests of you and your children.
Are you or your spouse getting along very well now? Sometimes two people who are married will end up arguing over things like the division of assets and child support, even if they are not having a divorce. In those cases, a good divorce attorney may be able to mediate a compromise agreement, keeping the lines of communication open between you and your spouse.
In many cases, it is possible to reach an agreement that both parties are happy with, saving you the time and expense of going to trial. When you or your spouse gets along well in the courtroom, they will be more likely to cooperate with you in the mediation process.
Can you afford the cost of a divorce? Sometimes, couples who are going through a difficult time financially decide to just take away each other’s resources. In many cases, this means taking away a spouse’s vehicle, home, or retirement account.
If you have more than one kind of income, you could also be removing any joint bank accounts. If you cannot afford to keep extra money in a trust or retirement account, you could at least liquidate some of your assets to pay down your credit card or other financial obligations.
When you work with a divorce law firm, they can help you determine which of your properties, such as stocks and bonds, will be exempt from any divorce legal fees.
