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When going through a divorce, one of the most basic questions any person will ask himself or herself is: "Do I need to hire an attorney - or can I do this case by myself?" While having an attorney is not necessarily a requirement, the right attorney can certainly help make the divorce process much smoother. This is especially true when the divorce in question is complicated, contested, involves children, or if the other party has decided to hire an attorney themself.
Self-representation is sometimes common in family law cases. Judges will hold those who choose to represent themselves to the same standards as the lawyer that they will be going up against. Although judges tend to be patient people, they may quickly grow annoyed and less sympathetic if a party doesn't know the correct laws, required actions, and what kind of documents are needed. Family attorneys will naturally have a greater amount of knowledge in their specific field; it can be very unlikely that a person representing him or herself is prepared to face of against another family lawyer by themself. By doing this, the self-representing individual is jeopardizing their entire case by saying or doing the wrong thing.
Sometimes, a divorce may be an emotional experience for all parties that are involved. There may be feelings of sadness, betrayal, fear, anger, depression, and resentment amongst other emotions. These emotions alone are enough to cloud a person's judgment and the level of emotional involvement in a case will certainly skew a party's ability to make the right judgments when needed. Because a family lawyer is an objective third party, they are able to keep a clear and level head while separating themselves emotionally from the case; and, therefore, allow themselves the opportunity to work towards the best decision for all involved parties. One of the best services a lawyer can offer their client is the ability to let them know when they are being unreasonable or when they are simply asking for something that is not in their best interest. Without the guidance of an experienced family law attorney, clients may only see their own side of the battle and, in some cases, push the other side too far.
With the experiences that a seasoned family lawyer has accumulated, they are able to effectively evaluate their client's legal position and the different possible outcomes of a case. With this in mind, a family lawyer can offer different options and choices that are appropriate for each individual case. An effective family law attorney will help their client take on a strong, reasonable position and be there to let them know when it is in their best interest to negotiate, settle, or push a case to hearing. An experienced divorce lawyer will have negotiated with many other divorce lawyers and, as a result, will likely be a better negotiator than a party. A client choosing to represent their own interest in court is usually depriving themselves of the much required counsel.
All divorces involve what seems to be an endless amount of paperwork. Tedious to say the least, many of these documents are very important to the outcome of a case. The importance of these forms being completed correctly cannot be stressed enough. This is where the expertise of a divorce lawyer cannot be matched. A good divorce lawyer must know exactly the correct means by which to comply with out statutory requirements for completing the various documents and stages of a family law case.
Finally, while an individual representing themself might be concerned with "winning" their case, a family lawyer will put their focus on getting quick results that will satisfy the progression of the divorce. Family lawyers know how expensive a divorce can truly be and will aim to settle cases quickly; thus, saving their clients a great deal of time and money. This will help their client move forward with their divorce in a quick and effective manner and, ultimately, allow them to move on with their life.
Experience in the field of family law is by far one of the greatest resources that a family law lawyer will provide their client. Firsthand knowledge and experience with different cases, clients, judges, and opposing attorneys - as well as negotiations and settlement tactics - are necessary to ensure that a client's divorce can be resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible.