Anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of all marriages in the US end in divorce today, according to the American Psychological Association (https://www.apa.org/topics/di
Trying to do a divorce on your own can get very difficult rather quickly, even if you are not planning on going to trial. A family law attorney will help guide you through the process so you don’t make any crucial mistakes.
If you are planning on getting divorced, here are four signs that you absolutely should use a divorce lawyer for help during this emotional and sometimes confusing time.
You Have Children
If you and your spouse have children, your case is automatically more complicated. A parenting plan needs to be drawn up and approved by the court outlining who has the children when and what each parents’ rights and responsibilities are. A clear and comprehensive parenting plan is a must. When the parenting plan covers everything it possibly can, the co-parenting experience will go more smoothly for you, your co-parent and your children. This is because a comprehensive parenting plan cuts down on the confusion of parenting schedules between two homes. It also provides a framework for you and your co-parent to follow to avoid arguments and confusion over the children’s daily schedules and the making of major decisions affecting their lives.
You Have a Business
When you and/or your spouse have a business, dividing it during divorce isn’t going to be simple, especially if you both want to remain part of that business. If you or your spouse want out of the business, the person staying in will have to buy the person who is leaving out. This means getting the business properly evaluated so that the person leaving gets a fair sum while the person staying pays out a fair amount. Your family law attorney will help you with this entire process, from evaluation to division, to ensure it’s done fairly and correctly.
You Own Your Home
If you and your spouse bought a home during the marriage, you will need to decide what to do with it in the divorce. Often, the family home is the asset with the most value in a divorce case, so your attorney will help you decide how to handle it.
While you may want to stay in the family home for emotional reasons, you do need to consider whether you will be able to afford it once you go from a two-income household to a one-income household. If the home has to be sold or your spouse is going to buy your share of the home out, you’ll want to have an attorney on your side to handle all of those arrangements to ensure you’re getting your fair share.
Your Spouse Has an Attorney
It’s not wise to enter something as complex and important as divorce without legal representation, and this is especially true when the other person involved has their own attorney. Even if your spouse seems to be acting fairly and you expect an amicable divorce, you should not have to handle all the paperwork, deadlines and other parts of the divorce proceedings all on your own. In addition, you never know when an unexpected disagreement will pop up, turning your “simple” divorce into a more complicated one. Your attorney will work on your behalf and handle many parts of the process for you so you can focus on making the important decisions you need to make and begin moving forward with your post-divorce life instead.