Last updated on April 19, 2021
Many people facing divorce are tempted to handle their divorces on their own. With all of the knowledge and resources available online today, people may wonder if it is worth it to hire a lawyer to represent them in their divorce cases. Especially for people who love to save money and handle things on their own, representing themselves can be a tempting option.
However, handling your own divorce case is ill-advised. Lawyers are highly trained professionals who participate in ongoing legal education throughout their careers in order to handle the legal complications and procedures involved in divorce. Working with an experienced lawyer is the best way to make sure your rights are protected and that you get the best outcome possible in your divorce.
What is the Value of Working With a Lawyer?
An experienced attorney can help you:
- Avoid tactical mistakes: There are so many legal and procedural aspects of divorce litigation, anyone handling a case of this kind without experience is bound to make significant errors without even realizing it.
- Save time: Preparing a divorce case is not something you can do on the evenings and weekends. It is an undertaking that requires your full attention. Working with an experienced attorney will save you countless hours.
- Understand your options: There are many options and choices you can make throughout your case, each of which can have tremendous implications for your family and your future. A lawyer who can see the big picture and know what is coming next in your case can be invaluable for protecting your interests.
- Make smart decisions:With the strong emotions usually involved in dissolving a marriage, it is a tremendous help having a lawyer on hand who is separated from these emotions and who can help you make sound choices in your case.
- Handle the administrative details: No one likes a lot of paperwork and administrative demands. When you work with an attorney, it’s your attorney’s job to make sure all the administrative work is handled properly.
What About Uncontested Divorce?
Some people might be curious about uncontested divorce? If both spouses already agree on all of the details of the divorce – including asset division, support and custody issues – is there still a need for a lawyer to be involved?
The short answer is: Yes. While it is not legally mandatory, working with a lawyer can be extremely helpful even for uncontested divorces. An attorney can help make sure your divorce agreement is written in such a way that it will get the approval of the court, and can handle all of the filing requirements and other administrative details.
Even more importantly, the things you agree to in a divorce agreement can be binding forever, an attorney can make sure that the things you are agreeing to in your best interest and that you have thoroughly thought through the decisions that you are making. An experienced divorce lawyer can help to craft the agreement in a way that will avoid costly disputes in the future.
Although hiring a lawyer will cost more than handling matters on your own, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
